The Forgotten
by ss9
Summary: Sequel to Mindwipe & Deadlock: It's been six months of silence, six months of rebuilding, six months of hoping. Yet both Osgood and The Doctor knew it was only a matter of time before the wait was over. Missy is back, yet this time is she bringing more than chaos and destruction in her wake?
1. Chapter 1

-/-

They were doing it again.

Osgood didn't even need to look up from her work to know there were watching her. It had become something akin to a sixth sense now, the ability to feel the weight of her minders gaze on her back. For the umpteenth time Osgood had to stifle the impulse to turn around and stare back, her temper was certainly more volatile since her jaunt with The Mistress. Or perhaps it was that after dying and being resurrected and then almost dying again Osgood was no longer quite so concerned with the social niceties that once made her hold her tongue.

She was also less concerned with what other people thought about her.

Once the fact that people talked about her behind her back, that not everyone was convinced she was really back to normal and seem to be waiting for her to turn on them; well it would had bothered her. Not everyone was so two faced of course, Kate openly supported her, but Osgood couldn't help but notice how she increasingly found herself assigned to working in the labs where her work could be checked and poured over.

On the surface Osgood was being asked to train the new recruits but Osgood had been in UNIT too long; she knew what new recruits acted like. She remembers being one all big eyes and boundless enthusiasm so anxious to make an impression and prove herself. One of her assigned recruits fits that profile all nervous and anxious to prove, the other, the other acts the part but there is just something else in his eyes that tells Osgood she is still under surveillance.

Today was worse than usual. Perhaps it was that she had poured over these samples fifty times already? Perhaps it was because her request to organise a fieldtrip to examine the actual meteor crash site had been turned down again and for even more pathetic reasons than the last time. It was bad enough being suspected but when it started to impact on her ability to even do her job….

There were just too many glances in her direction, glances that Osgood pretends not to notice, but she has enough field experience to notice the sudden upswing in tension around her.

Counting under her breath, Osgood exhaled as just as she reaches 100 for a moment thinking paranoia was making her jumpy but then there it was… the sound of heavy tread boots on linoleum. They paused outside her lab for a moment before resuming and Osgood restarted her mental countdown. Yet outwardly she continued to stare down her microscope as if this scrap of tech could hold her interest for this long. She had had it catalogued in the first five minutes but it was better her minders thought she was staring at something than simply staring off into space.

When had she started to think of UNIT as us and them, and when had Osgood no longer considered herself part of them?

No she knew when. Osgood could actually pinpoint it to five minutes after she returned to active duty after the life changing experience of traveling through time and space with The Mistress.

"Knock knock."

Her mental counting was interrupted by the arrival of her boss, and Osgood watched out of her peripheral vision as Kate tensed when she made eye contact with one of Osgood's trainees. That was good as verbal confirmation and Osgood couldn't help the way her heart sank in disappointment; even Kate didn't really trust her. Kate's smile was too forced, and she leant against Osgood's lab table in what seemed like an effort to appear relaxed. So whatever is wrong it has too be big to have the UNIT's chief scientist so rattled.

"How's it going?"

"Slow." Osgood answered simply, raising her gaze and removing her glasses to rub her nose. "There is only so much we can do with these samples."

Kate at least had enough decency to be a little abashed tucking the ends of her blonde bob behind her ears. "Actually that was what I was coming to talk to you about. A new meteor has come down in the Sahara desert and it's giving off some of the same strange energy readings, it doesn't appear to be dangerous. I know it's not exactly the most challenging fieldtrip but it would be good for your trainees to get some real world experience and I know you have been itching to get out of the lab and back into the field…."

For a moment Osgood held her gaze, she could feel the spike of resentment itching under her skin like something was crawling under there just waiting to burst out. Instead she forced on a smile, fumbling with her glasses. "Sounds good, although next time could we get a field trip to the Bahamas?"

"I'll see what we can do." Kate smiled glancing back over her shoulder at the door where an armed soldier was waiting, her smile freezing slightly. "Your transport is booked, you'll be leaving in the hour so we've got a car waiting to take you home to pack."

A field trip, a car and an armed escort…

So whatever was going down at UNT was big and they wanted Osgood out of the way, so either they thought she would be at risk or that her being here would place UNIT at risk?

It stuck in her gut at being treated like an outsider but Osgood wouldn't turn down the chance to get out of here, to get out from under such direct supervision for a few days, even to go look at boring glowing rocks.

-/-

The desert was cold but the lack of artificial light meant the stars had never looked brighter…well on earth that is and Osgood supposed that was some sort of compensation. Osgood has never been much of a fan of camping, never much of an outdoor girl, but she does love the stars. Looking up she can understand why primitive man would gaze up and assume that the stars were the gods looking back down keeping watch over them.

Tugging on her thick parka against the desert chill Osgood did one final check on the surveillance equipment; there was no change in the readings from earlier in the day. Radiation levels are the same, there were no readable signals being broadcast and Osgood was still no nearing to discerning what on earth was making it glow like that. It was pretty if you liked green, like having a lump of rock that displayed the aurora borealis.

They could cut it up and sell it off as novelty paperweights she supposed, help to get the funding for that new wing of labs that Kate kept trying to secure the money for.

Glancing at her watch Osgood was actually relieved that she was due to be relieved soon, to be able to withdraw to her own tent and shut the rest of the world out for eight hours, or at least until the sun rose and the damn thing became so unbearably hot that she came crawling out in search of some respite.

Her trainee, John Winters finally came to relieve her and perhaps it was because she was tired both figuratively and literally but Osgood didn't even attempt to mask her true expression. She passed over her status report, with a hard look.

"Best not to get too close Winters, we still haven't ascertained if it is dangerous to humans yet but you seem to be an old pro at observation." Osgood quipped watching as Winter's lip curled into a humourless smile.

"Yeah that seems to be the drill." Winters added sarcastically.

Frustrated Osgood marched back her tent, zipping it up behind herself with a little more force than was necessary. Flinging down her parka and unlacing her boots she began to shimmy out of her jeans…

"Hmm need a hand with that pet?"

Yelping and practically jumping out of her skin Osgood tripped over her own shoes and landed in an inelegant pile of limbs and clothing.

"Dr Osgood are you alright in there?" An insistent voice asked from outside and Osgood felt her heart jump into her throat.

"F…Fine…" Osgood stammered. "I just thought I saw a…a scorpion but it was just a sock casting a bad shadow…"

It was a pathetic excuse, and Osgood could feel her cheeks turn a flaming red but she was not sure whether that was because her explanation was so very pathetic or because a certain time lady was stretched out provocatively on her inflatable mattress?

"Alright Dr Osgood if you are sure, Good night."

"Good Night." Osgood called out trying to keep her voice light and free from the very real tension that was gripping her whole body.

Waiting until the guard had moved on Osgood finally uncurled from the floor, hand reaching out and hesitantly her finger poked Missy in her stomach. "You're real…you're really here."

"Of course I am Skip." Missy cooed patting the space beside her as she sat up and Osgood willing sank down onto it, her eyes studying what she could of Missy's face in the dim light.

Pouting smugly Missy reaching out and straightened Skip's crooked glasses. "Oh skip did you miss Mummy?"

"Don't say that it…That is really too disturbing."

"Why has my bad little Skip being having all sorts of naughty thoughts again?"

"No!" Osgood's protest was too shrill and too sudden to be believable and yet for some reason Missy simply settled for a knowing smile.

"Missy why are you here...how did you even find me?" Osgood asked.

They seemed safer, easier questions than the ones she really wanted to ask, like why did you do it? Why did you hurt me and leave me for The Doctor to find? Even if she asked them it was unlikely Missy would deign to answer her, the Time Lady danced to her own tune not those of apes.

"Oh Skip I can always find you." Missy replied lightly, her fingertips reaching out and in what would be a tender gesture from anyone else, brushed a lock of hair back from Osgood's face tucking it safely behind her ear.

Osgood would have sworn Missy could feel the way her pulse suddenly thundered under her touch before she ruined the moment as sharp fingernails dug into the soft little divot behind her ear. "Just there, a sub dermal implant sends out a very specific tracking signal. Oh it only works in a radius of about ten kilometres. Just a little safety precaution if you ever went wandering off in the Tardis or on a planet and I needed to be able to find you…Of course it also houses a tiny little nuclear bolt just in case I ever needed to use you as a walking bomb…"

Smacking Missy's hand away Osgood could only lean back in horror. "You put a nuclear bolt inside my head?! So what one day you could just blow me up on a whim?"

"Only a wee one." Missy huffed as if genuinely offended. "It's perfectly safe and sealed, and it's not like you'd even feel anything pet."

"You are…You are…" Osgood could only splutter her hand groping for her jacket and her inhaler.

"Oh dear we're still as defective as ever I see." Missy tutted shaking her head disapprovingly.

"So says the lunatic." Osgood wheezed in between inhalations.

"Now now Skip there is no need to call people names." Missy huffed, her pout downturned as if genuinely hurt. "And after I came all this way to see you."

"Why are you here Missy?" Osgood questioned, surprised when Missy actually avoided her gaze.

"What can't a girl just drop in any more for a chat and maybe a little fun?" She asked waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"You could have done that any time in the last few months." Osgood replied softly twisting her hands in her lap. "But you didn't did you, so why now?"

Missy bit her lip ice blue eyes boring into Osgood's own and for a moment Osgood actually thought she could see some measure of conflict in them as if Missy was genuinely unsure just how to reply. Perhaps this time she had to be the brave one.

"I wanted you to you know. My door would have been open. I still want to be your friend Missy." Osgood offered watching as the worry in Missy's gaze seemed to ease and something new entered her eyes, something Osgood couldn't recall seeing on the time lady before…uncertainty…

"Well then friend." Missy replied her tongue stretching the word friend as if trying it out for the first time and not finding it quite as distasteful as she expected, something akin to trying Brussel sprouts cooked with bacon and butter for the first time after years of being force fed them boiled to a green mush.

"I'm…I'm…"

"Yes?" Osgood prompted leaning forward her heart beating hard in her chest as Missy crooked her finger, beckoning the scientist closer so that her next words ghosted across the human's skin bringing out a smattering of goosebumps.

"I'm afraid this might be a little disconcerting." And with that she slapped something around Osgood's wrist and the world around them was ripped away.

-/-


	2. Chapter 2

-/-

There were times that The Doctor wondered if it would be possible to transport yourself across the galaxy through sheer force of will? However if it were possible for anyone than surely that would be for a Time Lord of Galifrey, if so The Doctor hoped those abilities kicked in soon for all their sakes. Staring blankly and humming to himself The Doctor tried his best to picture himself somewhere else, anywhere else in fact, even being chased down by Dalek's might be preferable right now….

Well perhaps not that but close The Doctor mused as he winced as he was stabbed yet again in the ankle.

"If you held still for longer than 5 seconds I would be done Doctor and believe me I would much rather not get blood on this trousers."

Suitably chastised The Doctor did his best, even though he could feel a definite wiggle starting in his left little toe.

"Doctor!"

The mere growling of his name from the diminutive brunette crouching at his feet had him freezing once again. This time ignoring that mutinous little toe as it itched to move.

"There done finally." Clara huffed carefully pulling the remaining pins from between her lips and sticking them rather too viciously for The Doctor's liking back into her pin ball.

"Just be careful when you take them off, if you snag just one of those pins we'll have to start all over again…" Clara added and the wrathful look she shot The Doctor promised a more painful punishment than even his instructors at the academy could have devised.

So instead he stood there meekly afraid to move lest he somehow displace the blessed pins until Clara's expression morphed from one of vindication to exasperation.

"Well go on Danny only has till five to get them to the shop." Clara snapped shooing The Doctor when he didn't immediately jump to obey. "Off take them off Doctor!"

Sharing a look of mutual understanding over Clara's shoulder it was a testament to either how far their relationship had improved or how much of a Bridezilla Clara the control freak Oswald was that The Doctor was sympathising with Danny Pink.

Gingerly The Doctor unbuttoned the fly of the dove grey trousers, wincing as the sharp little pins took full advantage of the movement to dig into his sensitive skin.

"You know I know a fabulous little tailor shop in the 51st Century on one of the moons around Jupiter…I could just pop over there no harm no fuss…"

"Until they come back suddenly complete with polka dots or able to fly." Clara commented with a knowing snort. "No Doctor you hand those trousers over right now and let one of our nice human seamstresses make the adjustments."

Knowing he was beaten when those dark eyes of Clara's turned a little red at the centre The Doctor just accepted the inevitable humiliation, unbuttoning the damn trousers and stepping out of them gingerly.

"Question marks!" Clara couldn't help but laugh, glancing over her shoulder at her fiancé who was also suitably amused. "It makes one wonder what is the question don't you agree Danny?"

"Well they are certainly a provocative choice." Danny Pink replied enjoying the embarrassed flush to The Doctor's cheeks, it almost made all the running around he had to do bearable.

"Oh ha bloody ha." The Doctor groused grabbing his favourite skinny tartan trousers and jabbing his long skinny legs into the holes so fast he practically got a friction burn.

"You only have yourself to blame Doctor. If you had actually turned up to your appointment at the suit shop when you were supposed to then Danny wouldn't have had to guess your size and..."

"I do have a time machine you know…Blue box…bigger on the inside…"

"Yes and yet somehow you are still never where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there." Clara retorted tartly stepping forward and drawing herself up to her full five foot three inches.

Poking the ancient scion of the Time Lords firmly in the chest she pushed a gilt-edged wedding invitation against it for good measure. "So just so we understand each other Doctor from now until my wedding you are earth bound mister!"

"But Clara…"

"No wheedling Doctor and this is not up for negotiation, I talked to Martha remember! You never made it to her wedding and you promised…" She paused and the Doctor swallowed as those damn eyes of hers seemed to swell up to ridiculous proportions. "It would break my heart if you weren't there."

"Alright alright just stop that thing with the eyes I'll stay, on earth, twentieth century, Scouts honour!" The Doctor insisted lifting his left hand in an approximation of the salute.

"You were never a scout." Danny interjected knowingly.

"Of course I was who do you thing gave Baden-Powell the idea in the first place?" The Doctor huffed cramming his hands in his pockets as he glared down at a still too happy Danny Pink.

What was it with human's and their weddings? Didn't Clara realise he had done Martha a favour by accidentally missing hers? After all it wasn't like he and weddings had the best track record. Still at least he wasn't being made to wear a tuxedo this time; weddings when combined with tuxedos were a sure sign the universe was about to come to an end.

Yet as he looked at the grey and cream monstrosity Clara was forcing him into The Doctor almost wished for some sort of disaster just so he could avoid having to wear it. It really wasn't his colour. He was pale and grey enough already. Yet apparently it was bad form to wear black at a wedding and Clara had vetoed his offer to come clad in tartan…something about his knees and fainting aunts.

So here he was over 2000 years old being forced into this ushers uniform. Clara had even supplied him with a list of the jobs he had to do and everything. He had to hand out programs and show people to their seats depending on if they were here for the bride or the groom, no yoyos. The Doctor still wasn't sure where he was supposed to put people who were there for both?

The aisle perhaps? But then how would Clara get up the front…

Perhaps she would pogo bounce over them?

Now that would be a way to make an entrance, forget the wedding march, bouncing in to Jive Bunny would have far more impact.

The Doctor was just picturing Clara in her wedding dress bouncing down the aisle in well an approximation of a wedding dress, no one had been actually allowed to see the real thing some silly human superstition; when the bride in question reappeared mobile in hand.

"Yes he is here actually…Exactly how important…Kate I am getting married in three days…Fine you can borrow him for a few hours but I expect him back in one piece in plenty of time…Here it's for you." Clara huffed thrusting the phone at The Doctor with a look warning bloody vengeance if he dared to deviate from the terms of his parole.

Gingerly accepting the phone The Doctor tried not to look too relieved, but judging by the look of condemnation on Clara's face he failed somewhat spectacularly.

"Hello?"

"Doctor thank goodness." Kate's familiar voice could be heard. "We have a situation that we'd like your help with..."

-/-

Urrrgh her stomach…That was worse than that roller-coaster her sister Stacie had tricked her onto as a child. Retching Osgood emptied the limited contents of her stomach over the metal grating whilst Missy watched her human pet dispassionately.

Finally finished and wiping her mouth on her sleeve Osgood got unsteadily to her feet and staggered over to the wall where Missy was busy typing something into the keypad, alien script lighting up on the display above.

"What the hell was that I felt like it was ripping my insides out?"

"Vortex Manipulator Pet. Sorry they are always a little rough if you're not well me." Missy answered not even glancing back at Osgood instead she studied the screen in front of her adjusting the feed and manipulating the display to show the corridor beyond.

"Why?" Osgood demands stepping closer, "Why did you do that? Why kidnap me, you could have just asked me if I'd come with you?"

"You might have said no." Missy murmured eyes narrowing as if what she saw annoyed her.

"I might have said yes." Osgood countered leaning closer her eyes widening as she saw a procession of armed guards patrolling on the tiny screen.

"A friend would have given me the choice and not dragged me blindly into danger, not all of us have the ability to cheat death Missy." She frowned did Missy really not understand how friendship was supposed to work? Although considering the Time Lady called The Doctor her best friend and the two of them seemed to spend half their time trying to kill the other perhaps Osgood had gotten off lightly just being kidnapped.

"But then again a real friend would have told me what she was up to before she drugged me and beat me black and blue out of some misguided attempt to help me!"

"I'm sorry you feel that way Skip I had hoped I wouldn't need to resort to this…"

"Resort to what? Missy tell me what is going on. Why am I here? Where the hell is here?"

"Smugglers base in the Xallafrax sector, part of the wild regions, the Cartellion pirate clan who control this space station are about to hold an auction and there is an opportunity for people to inspect the merchandise beforehand. There is something I might be interested in bidding on but I cannot be seen to be here, so I need you to go in and perform a few scans for me. Unlike a Time Lord a mere human will not exactly set off any alarm, after all by this century your backwards little species can be found under practically every rock in the galaxy.."

"You want to send me through there with pirates and killers to do your dirty work whilst you insult my species with your every breath…"

"Correct." Missy tutted as she eyed the outfit Osgood was wearing, chucking her an ugly loose fitting cloak that she had borrowed from a trader... well borrowed was a loose term, she had no intention of returning it and it wasn't like he was going to need it anymore, and the smell would probably fade once the blood dried properly.

"Look put that on and do try to look a little less…well…pathetic…These are pirates after all."

"No." Osgood put her foot down backing away from the door, finally doing something worthy of the Time Lady's full attention. "I won't do it, find some other poor idiot to do it for you."

Picking up the cloak Missy stalked the young human pressing her back into the wall and pressing the crumpled foul smelling garment into her chest. "You will do as you are told Skip or I you will leave me no choice but to resort to my backup plan."

Swallowing as Missy's gaze turned cold as ice Osgood could almost believe she meant it. "You won't hurt me, I know you won't, you couldn't kill me before remember?"

"No I couldn't." Missy agreed yet for some reason her acquiesce didn't fill Osgood with relief the way it should have.

"I won't hurt you, but rest of that pathetic species of yours and that dirt ball you call a planet well now that is something very different."

"You wouldn't…" Osgood began to insist but the look in Missy's gaze shut her up entirely, who was she kidding of course The Mistress could and she would if it served her purpose.

"I would never forgive you." Osgood protested weakly as Missy stepped back confident in her victory, and she was right Osgood couldn't have humanity's destruction on her conscience if she could possibly prevent it.

So she pulled on the foul smelling garment, her poor stomach protesting once more as some slime that looked a little like green blood came off on her hand. Taking the scanner Missy offered her Osgood refused to meet Missy's gaze, dragging her hand back as if she had been burnt when the Time Lady's fingers grazed hers. Fine she would go in there and do those scans and then she was going back home, this time with no regrets about what or more to the point who she was leaving behind.

When the door opened she stepped through without so much as a backward glance, yet for all her conviction there was no lying to herself that her heart clenched as she heard Missy's whispered reply.

"Believe me Skip when you really are the last of your race never is an awfully long time."

-/-


	3. Chapter 3

-/-

The Doctor knew that situation was more serious than Kate was prepared to admit over the phone when there were guards waiting with Kate, who looks more than a little stressed, to escort him into UNIT headquarters.

"So what do we have?" The Doctor asked, doing his best to modulate this own excitement.

For some reason most humans when faced with the unknown seemed to resent his own enthusiastic response. Clara had tried to explain it to him, something about facing the possibility of death, but if The Doctor was honest he had started to zone out when she got as far as talking about having consideration for other people's feelings. In the end she had promised to make him some cue cards to cover a range of situations and then hope for the best.

"This sphere like object appeared in the middle of UNIT around four hours ago. It teleported in and none of our scientists can get close enough to examine it, there is some sort of energy shield protecting it."

Nodding The Doctor followed her through the winding corridors taking note of the heavy guard presence. "But has it done anything?"

"No it just hovers there is hasn't moved since it arrived.

"Why so concerned?" The Doctor prompted pushing open the double doors to the UNIT hanger where a makeshift laboratory was being constructed. "Don't you think you might be overreacting a touch?" He added wincing a little as he caught sight of the large number of armed soldiers.

"Because of the rather large count down attached that has…" Kate paused waving to a technician who passed her a pad, "sixty-eight hours, twenty three minutes and fifteen seconds left on it.

"Precise." The Doctor quipped choosing to ignore the frustrated glare Kate shot him. "So where is the little beauty?"

Walking further into the hanger, there surrounded by armed guards and scientists with large scanning equipment was a hovering sphere.

Grinning like a child with a new shiny toy The Doctor pulls out his sonic screwdriver and started running a low level passive scan as he walked around it. "Definitely extra-terrestrial, the metal casing alone was from an element not even found in this galaxy."

"All very interesting Doctor but can you disarm it?"

"What makes you think it is a bomb Kate? Not everything in the universe wants to blow humanity up, have a little faith now."

"Oh well that makes me feel so much better." Kate drawled sarcastically. "I mean here I am Chief Scientist for UNIT the organisation meant to keep humanity safe from threats like this and we can't so much as scan it and you want me to have faith in the goodness of the universe?"

Smothering a smile The Doctor stepped closer encountering the field generated by the sphere. Unable to resist running his fingers across the shield he marvelled at the ripping affect…Cold but not painful…

"Doctor look." Kate's exclamation drew The Doctor's attention to the display which had changed.

"It changed the moment you touched the shield." Kate added and they both studied the new text.

What belongs to you but is used by others?

Surprised The Doctor pulled his hand back and the display returned to the familiar countdown display. Intrigued he touched the shield again and the question reappeared.

"Fascinating, it's programmed to respond to touch. Kate would you?" The Doctor prompted withdrawing his hand and gesturing for Kate to touch the shield instead.

Yet the moment the human touched the shield a charge rippled along it and Kate withdrew her hand yelping.

"Sorry." The Doctor winced as he caught sight of her burnt skin.

"Well at least we know now who this was intended for." Kate muttered in between clenched teeth as a medic rushed over to tend to her injury. "Someone out there has sent you a puzzle Doctor. One they clearly only intend you to be able to solve."

Pressing his hand back to the shield The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows as the countdown vanished once more and the message for him reappeared. "Yes…but who?"

-/-

It was times like this Osgood regretted ever leaving the Nethersphere, as she skirted large groups of armed guards, and hid her face from anyone who might look too interested. So far she has spotted several races she recognises from the UNIT archives and dozens more she has never seen before.

She followed the general direction of travel, pausing nervously in a sizeable queue before some heavily armed guards. They were subjecting everyone to a detailed scan before allowing them to pass into the central core of the station.

When it was her turn Osgood stepped up and had to resist the urge to cross her fingers. Yet despite subjecting her and her device to a thorough scan whilst grunting and glaring they did stamp, what Osgood hoped was approval to enter, on her hand before allowing her through.

Keeping her head down she tried to stifle her amazement as she entered the vast hall. Arguments and bartering were going on in too many different languages at once for the Tardis to keep up. And for a moment Osgood stood still and simple absorbed the sheer brilliance of it all before the scanner in her hand beeped and reminder her of the real reason she was here.

A glance down at the scanner in her hand shows what looks like a rotating blip, yet it didn't appear to have triggered the pre-programmed search criteria. Still it would have been helpful to have more than some idea of what the hell she is supposed to be looking for. Osgood supposed there was nothing else for it but to start at the beginning and make a pass of the entire room; thankful at least that despite her many failings as a friend that Missy hadn't left her comfy boots behind on earth.

-/-

"It's a riddle."

The Doctor rolls his eyes at the somewhat inept scientist Kate had assigned to work alongside him whilst she called in the preliminary results to UNIT command.

"Congratulations Sherlock." The Doctor drawled sarcastically. "If it takes you just as long to work out the answer we might have it by Christmas."

Leaving the slightly teary eyed intern behind The Doctor walks over to the coffee percolator, pouring himself a large cup and adding an obscene amount of sugar before adding some milk.

"How on earth do you manage to stay so skinny?"

"Time Lord metabolism." The Doctor quipped turning back to meet Kate's tired gaze.

"Shame I was hoping it was some sort of super diet pill, we could patent it and split the proceeds."

"Sorry but if you like you could always extend an invitation to the Adipose first family and offer yourself up as a surrogate?"

"A tempting offer but I think I'll pass." Kate chuckled tucking the ends of her bob back behind her ears with her bandaged hand as she poured herself a black coffee.

"Made any more progress?"

"Well your team has finally cottoned on to the fact that it's a riddle." The Doctor drawled taking a sip of his coffee. "It might actually help if I had someone decent to work with, is Osgood on vacation?"

"Of a sort." Kate replied yet from the way she avoided his gaze The Doctor knew something was afoot.

"Would this be a vacation of the enforced kind?" He practically growled. "Because if I find Ms Osgood languishing in some UNIT jail somewhere Kate I will be less than impressed. I still cannot believe your people put poor Lucy Saxon in prison…"

"Sorry Doctor but I am not prepared to take penitentiary advise from a species that resurrects and arms their psychopaths."

Conceding that point reluctantly The Doctor returned to the key point at hand. "Kate where is Osgood we could use her here?"

"She is currently leading a team investigating a strange meteor shower that landed in the Sahara." Kate replied but there was still something pinched about her expression that told The Doctor there was more to the story than that.

"Well unless those meteors have a countdown I imagine she could be spared, I am requesting her assistance Kate, find a way to make it happen."

"Doctor…"

"Kate I need someone who can think outside the box, normally I would have Clara but I am not suicidal enough to drag her away from wedding plans less than seventy…" The Doctor paused his eyes shooting back to the countdown, cursing in Galifreyan under his breath.

"Doctor?" Kate prompted as The Doctor's face turned a whiter shade of pale. "Doctor what is it?"

"I think I have the answer to one question, tell me Kate have you ran through in that super computer of yours what the time would be when that countdown runs to zero?"

"You know we have, it'll turn zero at precisely 14.30 GMT on Saturday. There is nothing special about that, no known launches, no predicted end of the world…Doctor is there something you're not telling me about this Saturday?"

"No no life changing events for humanity at 14.30 GMT on Saturday 19th September 2015, nothing special in the cosmic way of things." The Doctor deadpanned before reaching into his pocket for a slightly dog-eared invitation and holding it up for Kate to read.

Clara Oswald & Danny Pink Cordially invite you to attend their wedding at

St Margaret's Church 2.30pm Saturday 19th September.

-/-


	4. Chapter 4

-/-

Beep…Beep…

Finally Osgood could almost sigh in relief when the scanner Missy had given her finally picked up a signal. Muffling the noise in her cloak she followed in the direction it indicated, inwardly groaning when of course it led to a door which was being manned by another armed guard. Whatever it was these Pirates were guarding they certainly didn't want anyone to steal it and Osgood could only wonder just how Missy was planning on getting her hands on it.

Somehow she couldn't see The Mistress swanning in and bidding like everyone else. For a moment Osgood tried to picture it, Missy with her feet propped up tapping into her phone and rolling her eyes at everyone else playing by these silly rules. Only getting to her feet in time for the end of the auction and making some sarcastic comments before vaporising anyone who protested, and probably those who didn't just for the fun of it.

Girding her courage Osgood stepped up to the door like she had every right to step through it and by some stroke of luck the guard merely glanced her up and down once, his face pausing on the ornate clasp that held the rather shoddy garment together and for a moment Osgood thought she saw him pale. That was another question for The Mistress to add to the thousand Osgood already had, yet she wasn't about to discount something going in her favour for a change.

Inside the smaller room the cliental looked a little too wealthy for such a rundown station. They were gathering in groups in front of a small stage, talking and sipping at a range of exotic looking drinks that were being circulated by some rather scantily clad slaves. It quickly became clear to Osgood just what they were all here for and she did her best to surreptitiously push her way to the front.

Three large contraptions dominated the room and as she drew closer something about the design seemed familiar even before her scanner started going crazy. So this was the tech Missy was looking for, only Osgood was surprised they didn't look like weapons, in fact they looked a little like stasis pods…

One was open, clearly empty and Osgood got as good a look as she could at the inside. The other two were closed and it was impossible to tell if they were occupied or not.

A hush fell over the gathering crowd as an ornately dressed man who had to be the auctioneer stepped up on to the small stage. "Thank you all for coming, I promise your travels have not been in vain. We are offering a chance to not only acquire rare technology from a race now dismissed as myth by most of the known galaxy the Time Lords of Gallifrey but as an additional bonus for those collectors among us…" He paused dramatically and curtly gestured for his assistant to proceed.

The assistant stepped up onto the small stage, activating the control panel that was set off to one side, then stepping back in front with a small hand held device he scanned it across the first closed pod and on the large screen behind them the outline of a body appeared. It small for the size of the pod, a child or a very small alien…

Osgood was just running through the possible races when two beating hearts appeared on the screen and Osgood's throat went dry.

A time lord, a living breathing time lord about to be sold off like a curiosity, possibly even two…

Suddenly Missy's reason for being here became clear and yet just as one question is answered a thousand more appeared in its place.

-/-

"How cross would you be if for some reason…you had to cancel your wedding?"

Blinking as she was lost in the vision of a dress reflected back at her it took Clara Oswald a few more seconds than usual to actual listen to what The Doctor had said, she had heard in the first time but his words hadn't really registered…She was having the final fitting for her wedding dress after all, she was allowed to be a little distracted.

Her little flat was a hive of wedding industry; her living room was full of friends from the school who were waiting to see her in her dress. Her Nanna was in the kitchen rattling around making tea for the five thousand even though Clara had sprung for some bubbly. Clara really didn't have time for The Doctor's particular brand of drama at the moment she had more than enough of her own.

"What?"

"I was just checking whether it is really important for you and Danny to have an actual wedding…" The Doctor repeated and Clara put the phone on speaker so she had the satisfaction of glaring at the damn thing in place of The Doctor who was frankly testing her patience.

"Doctor stop being ridiculous I am standing here in my wedding dress, it is just a suit! You can even change after the photographs if you are going to sulk."

"…or is it really important to have it this Saturday is it possible to say move it to Friday?" Doctor carried on as if Clara hadn't interrupted.

"Doctor!" Clara snapped. "You do not tell a bride to move her wedding with no notice after months of planning! Do you have any idea how difficult it was to get a church on a Saturday? We only got this one because one of the parents at my school had a niece who had to cancel her wedding after the groom ran off with his best man."

"Look I am just saying, a church is boring everyone does that, I could take you and Danny anywhere, you could tell everyone you eloped, you could get married on the moon, the first human colony, or…"

"Doctor we are not moving the wedding, whatever world ending threat you are dealing with you have until 2.30pm on Saturday to sort it out, so you'd better not waste any more time talking to me!" Clara added finally, taking great satisfaction in hanging up on him.

Looking up Clara caught sight of her reflection, smiling at her dress and doing her best to push The Doctor and the nagging worry over his portent of doom out of her mind.

Staring at his silent phone The Doctor muttered. "Yes that is exactly what I am worried about."

-/-

Osgood couldn't get back to confront Missy fast enough. She was literally ripping off her cloak as she was racing through the door.

"Why didn't you explain what was really going on, that it was more than just technology, that it was Time Lords involved? You could have just explained Missy and I would have helped, you didn't need to threaten the earth you could have simply asked me, your friend, to help."

Snatching the scanner from Osgood's hands Missy poured over the readings her blue eyes almost rabid as she devoured them, her voice soft as if she was talking more to herself than actually answering Osgood's question. "I wasn't sure; it was just a rumour…"

"It wouldn't have mattered if it was just a rumour." Osgood insisted wanting to reach out and reassure The Mistress and yet not sure whether such a thing would be welcomed or if Missy would rip her hand out of its socket. "I still would have helped, why didn't you just ask?"

"Let's just say my friends don't have the best track record of helping me out when I need it." Missy sneered sarcastically, folding up the scanner and placing it back in her bigger on the inside pocket.

"Even with this?" Osgood spluttered unable to believe what she was hearing. Sure she knew that Missy and The Doctor had a love hate relationship, but The Mistress had been willing to throw herself into mortal danger to save him… "I would be astounded if The Doctor would refuse to help out. These are his people…"

"I couldn't go getting his hopes up, and it would have mean explaining things that…look it was just easier this way." Missy snapped her blue eyes flashing with deadly warning for Skip to drop this.

Sighing Osgood shook her head, the sad reality of what The Mistress was not saying sinking in. "You really don't trust anyone do you?"

"If you had lived the lives I have then you would learn to rely on guarantees and not fairy tales."

"But now it's no longer a rumour, now its fact." Osgood added refusing to let it drop, refusing to accept that her friend and her hero couldn't work together on this of all things. "So what do we do now, what is the plan? Surely now we know we should go find the Doctor and get back up?

"You can if you like, oh and then you can watch him have a complete breakdown when the truth shatters that memory block he put on himself just make sure to tell him first that I hope he liked the gift." Missy replied lightly artificially so, reaching into her other pocket she quickly refastened the vortex manipulator to Osgood's wrist and began typing in a new set of coordinates that would see her pet safely home.

"Gift? Missy I think there is something more imp…"

"That man is just useless at shopping and he can't go giving out honeymoon trips of the galaxy to everyone, the universe is overran with you apes as it is." Missy cut in finishing her typing with a flourish and false smile."

Glancing down at the vortex manipulator that was on her wrist as Missy backed away Osgood asked dry mouthed. "What do you mean I can?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. As much fun as it would be to see the Doctor destroy himself I don't have time to waste pet I need to get them out now, I can't wait hoping on The Doctor to simply turn up for once when he is needed."

"Missy please don't do something stupid."

"Oh no Skip I am going to do something very clever." Missy insisted smugly, patting Osgood's cheek gently. "But just in case this is goodbye, it's been fun."

Reaching out Osgood grasped hold of Missy's arm, refusing to let go, if she was being transported anywhere then Missy was going to come too. "Missy this is too important not to make sure, we need The Doctor's help, these are your people…"

"No not just my people those are my children. That's too important to leave to The Doctor's bumbling don't you think? He already had one shot at being their father and he chose Gallifrey instead, this time he doesn't get a say." Missy added prising Osgood's hand loose like she was flicking a fly from her lapel.

"Missy no…" Yet Osgood's protest was firmly cut off as the timer activated and Osgood dematerialised.

-/-


	5. Chapter 5

-/-

Leaning against the lab table The Doctor stared at the innocent looking sphere, his mind mulling over the riddle. He had worked it out already, What belongs to you but is used by others? Your name or more to the point his name. But which one?

The Doctor had been given so many names over the years, some of them less than flattering, and depending on who had sent it using the wrong name might have devastating consequences for him and well the rest of planet earth.

"Doctor Osgood is missing, vanished from her tent in the middle of the night."

Closing his for a fraction of a second The Doctors thoughts raced towards one conclusion before he viciously shut them down, diverting his anger to another more readily available target.

"And nobody noticed? Not to be rude Kate but you might want to think about reviewing your security protocols." The Doctor sneered.

"One of the guards reported Osgood did yell out and he went to investigate but Osgood convinced them it was just a mistake and no one checked on her until morning. Doctor we both know who is the most likely candidate to have taken her."

"You are jumping to conclusions Kate." The Doctor muttered yet from the way he couldn't quite meet Kate's gaze she knew he suspected the same thing but unlike her was not prepared to admit it, either because he didn't want to discuss it or because he was avoiding confronting the real possibility himself, like a child hiding their head under the blanket to hide from the monsters.

"Please a cryptic threat turns up in UNIT headquarters keyed to only The Doctor and Osgood goes missing." Kate snorted leaning closer and lowering her voice until she was pretty sure only The Doctor could hear her. "I am pretty damn confident in those conclusions Doctor. I just want to know is she safe?"

"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked suspiciously his eyes narrowing

"Oh don't continue to treat me like I'm an idiot, I was there remember. I saw Osgood willingly leave with The Mistress, and I have studied her since she came back and Osgood displays none of the psyche symptoms of post-traumatic stress she should have. Not even Stockholm syndrome would explain it away." Kate snapped. "I am in charge here Doctor and I am fed up of being kept in the dark, is Osgood in danger? Is UNIT compromised?"

"I don't know, I don't think so…I hope not." The Doctor spluttered his anger fading away in the light of Kate's very real concern for Osgood that made him feel more than a little ashamed at his own outburst.

"You hope not? Well as long as you hope not."

Sighing The Doctor added quietly "Don't discount hope Kate, it can be the most powerful thing in the universe."

Opening her mouth to retort Kate was cut off when there was a flash of a teleport and the room was suddenly plus a groaning Osgood. Kate was the first to rush to her side putting her hand to Osgood's forehead "She's burning up."

"It's a side effect of travelling through time and space without a time capsule I wouldn't recommend it."

Blinking against the bright light it took Osgood's vision a moment to clear before she was staring up into the concerned and curious faces of Kate and The Doctor. "Doctor oh thank goodness, you have to come you have to stop her."

The Doctor doesn't even need to ask who, even as his hearts sank from the confirmation. The Mistress was back to her old tricks it would seem, he wasn't sure why he had ever allowed Osgood to encourage him to hope otherwise. "We will stop her Osgood; I won't let Missy destroy the earth I promise. Whatever this plan of hers is together we will defeat it."

Frowning Osgood shook her head, staring past The Doctor at the sphere. "What no, oh that…" She wheezed remembering something Missy had mentioned as she scrabbled for her inhaler, taking a deep breath as The Doctor and Kate hung on waiting for her to finish.

"I think that's meant to be a gift Doctor, a wedding present for Clara and Danny. She said something about you being rubbish at shopping."

"Hold on." Kate interjected unable to actually believe what she was hearing. "Are you telling me I have put the Heads of State of every nation on earth on high alert because the intergalactic version of Yodel were unable to make delivery direct to The Doctor and we're what his "safe place?"

Blushing in embarrassment The Doctor moved back to the shield placing his hand back on the rippling blue, the message reappeared and this time The Doctor rolled his eyes as he re-read the message. Trust Missy and her attempt at being funny.

Clearing his throat he spoke his name aloud in Gallifrayan, well not his real name obviously but the nickname that Missy used whenever she was being nostalgic. Clearly that matched the signatory requirements to satisfy the delivery, the shield deactivated and the countdown ceased.

Approaching the now defenceless package the Doctor waved his sonic over the sphere which shimmered open to reveal a beautiful glass sculpture, even in the artificial light of the UNIT hanger it shimmered and The Doctor knew that in natural light it would cast beautiful refractions of light in a range of colours that far exceeded the human eye's ability to process.

"Well at least she has good taste." Kate huffed waving her staff to stand down.

Turning to Osgood Kate couldn't help but show her disappointment. "I don't really want to ask where you have been or with who Osgood but I wouldn't be doing my job if I ignored what I have learnt today. Osgood I have no choice but to place you under arrest for the protection of the planet earth and her citizens until such time as your threat level can be determined."

"No Kate you have to understand she needs help." Osgood stood firm turning her pleading gaze on The Doctor who looked up from the beautiful gift and the look on his face near broke Osgood's heart. That ancient face so solemn and yet those blue grey eyes burned with hope and fear, like he was being torn in two.

"Funny then that she didn't ask for it, not that I would be inclined to assist even if I could, it is not my responsibility but you are I'm sorry." Kate's reply was clipped and firm even if her gaze reflected a hint of regret as she motioned for guards to come and arrest Osgood. "It's for your own good Osgood."

"Doctor please…please you have to go help her." Osgood insisted even as she resisted the armed guards come to escort her away. "She's going to get herself killed." She added relieved when that at least caused The Doctor to flinch as if she had slapped him.

"The Mistress is the most qualified person alive at getting herself out of life and death situations." The Doctor insisted even as he felt a frisson of guilt, yet he was certain Osgood had misunderstood and was exaggerating the threat level, either that or Missy had deliberately misled her.

The Mistress would never ask for help, would never play the damsel in distress, not unless there was some advantage to her in it. Well he could afford to get caught up in her dangerous games, not now.

"Osgood I am sure she will be fine and besides I made Clara a promise not to miss her wedding."

"But you don't understand it's not just Missy in danger…" Osgood began, even with the Mistress's warning uppermost in her mind, surely she didn't need to tell The Doctor everything to get him to help, he cared about Missy right, he would go help her without needing to know about the other time lords at stake?

"Who is in danger?" The Doctor demanded eyes narrowing as Osgood actually avoided his gaze increasing his suspicions that there was much more going on here than she was saying, but why lie to him?

"It's complicated…I can't…I can't tell you…Osgood stuttered, clearly trying Kate's last nerve as the guards were now instructed to drag her from the room if necessary. "Please trust me they are really really important and if anything happened you would never forgive yourself Doctor."

-/-

It quickly became apparent to The Doctor that his continued presence in UNIT HQ was no longer welcome and since he had a wedding present to deliver and had left his Tardis round the corner from Clara's flat it seemed as good a time as any to deliver it. Besides he could do with a little of Clara's confident reassurance right now that he was doing the right thing, the sensible thing...If only he could shake of Osgood's parting words.

Yet when he knocked on the door instead of simply piloting the Tardis into her kitchen, Clara had banned his simply popping in for the duration of the wedding, something about Gran's having heart attacks and respecting the privacy of honeymooning couples; well The Doctor still hadn't expected anyone other than Clara to open the door.

"P.E." The Doctor exclaimed as Danny opened the door and tried to hide his own lack of enthusiasm for the Time Lord interloper.

There was still more than a little awkward tension between the two of them; they needed Clara there as the third wheel to give them someone to have in common. Fumbling The Doctor foisted the present onto him and Danny took one look at the exotic glass sculpture.

"Well that is certainly not something we can have out when the in-laws come over."

"Well your welcome, where's Clara?"

"Out." Yet Danny was more observant than The Doctor gave him credit, he could see the way The Doctor was frowning and nervously rubbing the sleeves of his jacket and knew that if Clara were here she could be dragging The Doctor inside and demanding he tell her what was wrong.

"You could tell me. What?"

"What's clearly eating you up, I mean I might not be able to understand everything but you know I will give you my honest opinion."

"No it's…" The Doctor began watching as the look of contempt started to creep back into Danny's expression and he stopped himself.

He had never been fair to P.E. and despite his own poor behaviour Danny was the one offering the olive branch. "It's just I'm worried, someone told me today an Old friend is in trouble and I…I didn't listen…I didn't want to listen and now…now…"

"Now you are afraid they were telling the truth and you just made a mistake." Danny filled in the gaping holes in The Doctor's sentence.

"Yes…Yes I suppose I am…I just seem to always be letting my friends down, if I help one I'll be letting another down and I don't know what to do?" The Doctor added staring down at his locked fingers as if they held the answer to his problems.

"It sounds to me like you have to make a choice, a choice you clearly don't want to make." Danny replied wisely. "But you are going to have to, you know that right? At some point you have to choose, husbands, wives, friends, lovers, children they all demand a piece of you and you have to decide who comes first because what is right for one might not be right for the other. And if you don't choose then you'll just end up hurting and failing them all."

"I just…I just don't want to hurt or disappoint anyone."

"You're not going to be here are you, for the wedding?" Danny interjected finally catching on. "Here I am almost feeling sorry for you and…"

"I don't know Danny, I am going to try. I do have a time machine I should be able to come back in time, but if I stay in order to keep my promise to Clara …I just…if my friend is really in trouble…if its trouble even…even she cannot handle…" The Doctor paused glancing up at Danny and catching the moment the lights went on behind his eyes.

"You have to go Doctor." Danny insisted surprising The Doctor with his vehemence. "It's not even a question of choice really because you owe her, you don't leave a man behind; she went after you when you needed help."

"So everyone keeps telling me." The Doctor huffed bringing clenched fists to his forehead and rapping them against his skull. "It would be a damn sight easier to believe if I could remember, if she hadn't…Dammit! Just once can't things go as planned? "

Snorting in amusement at The Doctor's naivety Danny merely retorted "Life."

"Yet whilst there is life there is still hope." The Doctor added sharing a grim smile with Danny Pink who understood that sentiment better than any human alive…well apart from a certain Ms Osgood and a Dr Chang.

"You'll look after Clara…"

"Don't I always?" Danny pushed back a part of him still needled by The Doctor's lack of trust even after everything.

Nodding The Doctor had to concede that he did. "Thank you P...Danny…"

The Doctor finally dropped the unflattering moniker he had labelled Danny Pink, offering his hand to the former soldier relieved beyond measure when after a moment's eyeballing Danny accepted it and something akin to a genuine smile pulled at the human's lips.

"Just don't go getting yourself killed Doctor; I'd rather not have a hysterical bride to deal with on my wedding day."

-/-


	6. Chapter 6

-/-

Back in a UNIT cell again; it would be pathetic if it wasn't so ironic, only this time Osgood very much doubted Missy would be coming to save her. Some back up she was, she had one chance to help The Mistress and she blew it. Now Missy might be dead and she would never know.

Yet Osgood had been so sure that The Doctor would help. That despite their differences over the years the Time Lord still cared enough about his old friend to want to help, even if it was Osgood asking and not The Mistress?

"Pssst."

Turning her head, following the annoying noise that was far less subtle than the originator hoped it would be Osgood, tried her best to smother the smile that played about her lips as she caught sight of The Doctor slipping through a supposedly locked and guarded door.

"I've been thinking about what you said…" The doctor began without any word of greeting. "Can't stop thinking about it actually." He added his blues eyes darkening as if clouded by inner demons he was still fighting. "This is more than likely a trap you do realise that."

And Osgood felt her confusion melt away into relief, a smile lighting up her face as one time hero climbed back up on to his pedestal. "But you'll go anyway won't you Doctor?"

"Yes Ms Osgood, we will." The Doctor added his eyebrows jiggling as his face took on a younger more mischievous expression as he returned her smile.

Pointing his sonic at the jail cell it unlocked a moment later but Osgood paused before making good her escape. "What about the cameras?"

"Static some totally unexpected and fortuitous system's failure." The Doctor japed, waggling those eyebrows as he pulled open the door for Osgood as if it were a perfectly natural thing jailbreaking before hurrying her out of the cellblock.

Ducking into doorways to avoid UNIT personnel Osgood could feel her heart pounding wildly in her chest as they somehow made it around undetected. The Doctor had clearly covered their route as Osgood could see the security cameras appeared locked in position allowing them a safe route to follow. Still she was more than a little relieved to make is safely into the storage room where The Doctor had left his Tardis.

"Doctor wait they took my vortex manipulator, it has the coordinates we…" Osgood began only to stop as the now grinning Doctor pulled the very same device out of his pocket.

"Jailbreaking, sabotage and theft Doctor you really are on a roll." Osgood joked. "I suggest we leave before you add any more to your rap sheet."

"How about betrayal of trust, or is that so minor in both your opinions it is not even worth recording." A familiar voice cut in and The Doctor and Osgood took a step then two back as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart appeared from where she had been hiding behind The Tardis her gun drawn.

Eyeing the gun with genuine surprise and then disappointment The Doctor said softly. "You are not going to use that Kate, you couldn't…"

"Doctor of the two of us which one was prepared to destroy London during the Zygon invasion? Do not presume to lecture me on what I can or will do."

"Yes but that was different." The Doctor interjected his hands raised, half in surrender half placating "You thought there was no other way to stop an invasion then, nobody is in danger now."

"No one?" Kate scoffed her blue eyes drifting over to Osgood. "You forget Doctor I stood by once before and let a Time Lord take Osgood away and just look at how she came back, beaten and bloody. I have a duty of care not only to this planet but to those under my command, even if that means saving them from themselves."

"Kate it won't be like last time, I will be there…" The Doctor began only for Kate to cut him off angrily.

"You cannot absolve me of my duties Doctor, I took an oath, and besides with your track record of returning your companions safe and whole I doubt very much you are up to the task." Offended The Doctor pulled his hands down; it was only Osgood's hand on his arm that stilled him from forcing Kate's hand.

"Look I don't want anyone falling out over me. Kate is right I do fall under her jurisdiction." Osgood sighed before fixing her boss with a sad smile. "So I guess there is nothing else to do…I resign Kate."

Horrified Kate could only shake her head. "No I refuse to accept your resignation, you are not in your right mind Osgood, you can't be throwing away your career and potentially even your life to save a monster."

"Just because you cannot understand someone does not make them a monster Kate. That is the sort of primitive thinking that simply enforces The Mistress opinion that all mankind are apes rolling about in the dirt." The Doctor sniped.

"And insulting or belittling me will not make me change my mind either Doctor." Kate insisted her fingers twitching around the handle of her revolver, nervous sweat making it harder to maintain a steady grip.

"Now Osgood I am not ordering you but I am asking you as a friend and a mentor to just turn around, just go back to the cell. I can still sort this out if you give me time…"

"I can't, I'm sorry Kate but I can't just leave her there. Please if you really are my friend don't make me choose."

Watching the conflicting emotions play over the UNIT scientists face The Doctor added gently. "The choice is yours Kate, we are leaving now, if you are going to stop us then you have to shoot us both and it will take every bullet in your gun to keep me down."

Kate's hand on her gun steadied but the battle was instead being fought across her face and in her eyes. After a long tense moment in which Osgood held her breath Kate finally dropped her arms and re-holstered the gun.

"There now much better. I knew you weren't really a pudding brain." The Doctor exclaimed his tone teetering between smug and just a tiny bit patronising.

With a glare Kate pushed passed him approaching Osgood who swallowed nervously at the look of weary resolve on her bosses face. "Kate I'm…"

Yet the sudden clip of a handcuff around her wrist cut Osgood's apology off, and the snap of the other cuff around Kate's own wrist even caused The Doctor to frown in confusion.

"I told you both I have a duty of care for my staff." Kate offered by way of explanation.

"No…No…No." The Doctor shook his head as he quickly caught on to Kate's intention.

One human he could keep track of, could keep safe but two was just asking for trouble. Reaching into his pocket he pointed his sonic screwdriver at the cuffs, his frown only increasing as the damn things remained securely fastened. "But that's not…"

"Your sonic won't work Doctor, not on these cuffs we had them made special, after all it doesn't do wood. "Kate explained with a smug smile of her own. "I told you Doctor I have a duty of care so either Osgood stays behind or we both go; it's up to you…"

-/-

The Tardis landed in the same room Osgood remembered, it appeared whatever gap in the shielding Missy had created was enough to allow The Tardis through and the Doctor practically bounced out a bundled of nervous energy.

"Doctor be careful we don't know if anyone has found this and set traps since I was last here." Osgood warned the Doctor who merely chuckled and scanned the room as though Osgood's concerns were amusing.

Standing in the doorway of The Tardis Osgood pulled along Kate who looked decidedly green around the gills.

"Urghhh is it always like that?"

Glancing back at them The Doctor couldn't resist teasing UNIT's chief scientist. "Call yourself a scientist, you're in space Kate you travelled through time."

"Well when you have a taxi driver like you Doctor you can hardly blame me." Kate sniped back.

"That because he leaves the brakes on." Osgood explained with a sympathetic grimace, surprising The Doctor who actually paused in his bouncing and scanning to glance at back at Osgood.

"I have been in a Tardis before Doctor one operated by someone who had actually passed their test." Osgood added teasingly, enjoying the way The Doctor's expression changed from curiosity to sulky teenager in a split second. And Osgood could have sworn she heard him muttering about "bloody show off Time Lady's."

"So where are we?" Kate asked, looking around and being decidedly unimpressed with what she saw.

"Smugglers base in the Xallafrax sector, part of the wild regions, the Cartellion pirate clan run it." Osgood answered before adding "Well providing we are where we are supposed to be."

"Stop insulting your lift Ms Osgood or you can hitch hike your own way back to earth." The Doctor huffed.

Marginally contrite Osgood did her best to hide her smile. "So what's the plan Doctor?"

Turning around from the screen that had been holding his interest The Doctor looked as though he was surprised by the question , "Oh a plan, well I was thinking we, ummm , well normally I just go in and do a bit of looking around… "

"Great I'm on the other side of the universe trying to rescue one of humanity's greatest threats and you don't even have a bloody clue about what you're doing!" Kate snapped, and The Doctor looked moderately offended.

"Half a clue Kate come on now be fair." Then The Doctor gestured for them to follow, before pausing, "You might want to go taking those off now."

He pointed to the handcuffs that still connected Kate to Osgood. "More than a little conspicuous don't you think?"

Conceding that point Kate removed the key from her pocket and unfastened the handcuffs tucking them back into her pocket just in case. After all with two Houdini Time Lords to deal with you never knew when you might need something a little old fashioned.

They made it into the corridor without incident, Osgood taking the lead back along the hall that she remembered, Kate asking whispered questions and trying not to stare at the many different species. Everything was going according to the non-plan until they reached the first checkpoint and Osgood remembered just why Missy had sent her in alone in the first place.

"Doctor they do a full body scan that's why Missy sent me first, a human is hardly going to stand out whereas a Time Lord..."

Shushing Osgood's concerns The Doctor reached into his pocket and withdrew his Psychic paper before pushing his way to the front of the check point and thrusting it under the nose of the surprised guard.

"Look at how important I am, far too important to be expected to wait in line." The Doctor snapped and Kate and Osgood could only watch as The Doctor literally blagged his way through with bluster and pique.

"This is the earth's final line of defence?" Kate drawled not sure whether she should be impressed on concerned that the entirety of The Doctor's plan seemed to be to wear down the guard through sheer verbosity.

It didn't take long of The Doctor's rant before a sweating nervous little man appeared, he had the look of low level bureaucrats everyone and Osgood was surprised to realise that this type could survive even in a Pirate clan, but then again someone somewhere had to balance the figures.

"My most sincere apologies, we didn't realise your party was coming, we were sure we received a refusal when our envoy was exterminated before we could deliver it..."

"As if The Dark Lord of Skaro would be so obvious." The Doctor retorted, even as he felt his skin prickle at the lie. It was one thing to bluster and lie to obtain access and another thing entirely to pretend to be in the employ of Davros just to gain entry.

"Of course of course well all the other bidders currently at a party given by leader Lord Strax," with a deprecating glance at their attire "Will you be wanting to change?"

"I think." The Doctor grunted. "We've already been held up enough thank you very much and my employer really has no tolerance for delays."

Turning even paler and clammier the official nodded and ushered The Doctor and his party through the check point. "Of course please do follow me."

Turning back as he tucked the psychic paper back into his pocket The Doctor shot a look back over his shoulder at Kate and Osgood, his eyebrows waggling in what could only be described as a smug manner before he strode after their guide.

Falling into step beside Osgood Kate could only shoot her subordinate a glance, yet that one glance was enough and Osgood nodded in reply. That was too easy and they both knew it. Putting her hand to her hip Kate relaxed slightly as she felt the familiar weight of her revolver. If things went south quickly at least one of them would be prepared and Kate Stewart would be damned if she let The Doctor's sensibilities get her and Osgood killed, they didn't have the ability to regenerate.

-/-


	7. Chapter 7

-/-

What Osgood hadn't expected on following their guide was to step into a lavish party, the like of which she would never have been invited to back on earth. Perhaps it was her own planet's history of pirates colouring her outlook but Osgood had expected something a little more rum and yo-ho-ho than exotic looking cocktails and gorgeous scantily clad aliens.

"It's a bit urghhh flamboyant." Osgood settled for something neutral yet she could tell from the way The Doctor rolled his eyes at her naivety that he had read her subtext.

"Pirate is the closest translation into English the Tardis could manage." The Doctor explained over the loud music, pausing as a very scantily clad serving girl approached the group with a tray of the exotic looking drinks.

Doctor accepted a glass with what looked like a tower of fruit piled into it and pulled Osgood's hand away from the one she was reaching for directing her to a safer if duller pale yellow drink.

"Avoid the green ones unless you want to wake up with memory loss and sporting feathers." He explained with a smirk before returning to his alien cultural class 101.

"Basically the only comparable features with Earth pirates are the seizure of other people's goods by force and the obsession with wealth. The wild regions are controlled by the different clans, there are occasional skirmishes between them but over the last few centuries they have settled down into something more akin to your feudal system. Nowadays they prefer to flaunt their superiority by great feats of skill, technological, engineering, artistic…"

The Doctor trailed off pointing towards the large window that dominated the room. Through it a huge star could be seen, and creeping out from it was a stream of swirling red gas that coiled and coiled down…

"Is that a…" Osgood's mouth literally ran dry as she all but pushed her way through the crowd to all but press her face against the glass and drool against it.

"…Black hole swallowing a star." The Doctor finished smugly, his grey eyes lingering on Osgood's face and savouring the look of wonder upon it. That never got old even if he did.

"It doesn't look very safe." Kate commented even as the scientist in her marvelled at the sheer beautify and power on display. It was very humbling standing here, one Time Lord two humans and an assorted coterie of aliens against the sheer raw destructive power of the universe.

"Anti-gravity repulsors. The Cartellion pirate clan are famous for their expertise." The Doctor added taking a sip of cocktail, his thick eyebrows doing an intricate little dance of their own as The Doctor mulled over the flavour; his nose scrunching as he caught a tang of something that tasted decidedly like pear.

"And let's just say they like to show off." He added setting down his drink and turning back to the room, it was easy to make out the Pirate clan leader, he was dressed in his ceremonial best and there were several different groups vying for his attention.

If he was going to get any answers that was probably where he should start; nodding towards Lord Strax The Doctor caught Osgood's eye. Stepping forward Osgood and Kate following like little ducklings The Doctor weaved easily through the crowd, his gaze passing over it before doubling back sharply.

"no…" The Doctor muttered under his breath shaking his head stopping dead and almost causing Osgood to crash into him.

It must have just been a likeness he would have sensed Missy if she was in the room even with her formidable shields up even she couldn't hide herself entirely from another Time Lord. Only she had twice The Doctor's dratted memory reminded him awkwardly; once with the Arch-Angel network and then again with 3W…

Come to think of it The Doctor never did work out how she did it that time and that frightened him. It was seemingly childs play for The Mistress to find him whenever she wanted but The Doctor had no clue about how to go about the reverse.

"Doctor?" Osgood prompted her concern mounting as the Time Lord in question seemed to ignore her question chewing his bottom lip lost in deep thought.

Following his gaze Osgood's own fell on the back of an elegantly attired woman in a backless midnight blue jumpsuit thingy, well Osgood assumed she was female as from this angle she looked human enough. Then as if sensing someone watching she half turned and there was no mistaking those cheekbones.

"Missy." Osgood all but exclaimed in relief and began to move towards her friend but the sudden clamp of a Time Lord's hand on her arm pulled her up short. "Doctor?"

"Well she doesn't exactly look in danger to me unless we are supposed to save her from a hangover." Kate commented sarcastically as she watched The Mistress laugh uproariously at something her companion said before downing the remainder of her drink and imperiously signally a hovering waitress for another.

As if feeling the combined weight of their three stares The Mistress now actually turned around. Her blue eyes narrowed as she scanned the crowd then their gazes locked and for a moment her face showed everything; then just as quickly as it had been there it was all locked away and she returned her attention back to her drinking companion ignoring them completely.

"Well forgive me Doctor but I don't think she is pleased to see us." Kate added, trying not to let her own vindication flood into her voice and failing somewhat judging by the hurt look Osgood shot her.

"No." No it didn't, yet why just ignore them? That wasn't like The Mistress at all unless… "Something here doesn't feel right." The Doctor muttered to himself, the look in Missy's eyes, something was off and he was only a few feet away he should be able to…

Stepping forward The Doctor was stopped in his tracks as the doors opened and in trundled a large contingent of armed droids led by the sweaty official.

"Please do remain calm Ladies and Gentlebeings." He all but oozed out. "It is merely a security precaution. We simply have a gate crasher to deal with." He added as over half the heavily armed guests in the room began to reach for their own weapons.

"Doctor?" Kate all but growled under her breath as the droids spread out across the room, soon no one would be out of their firing range.

"Don't panic Kate they may not mean us at all…" The Doctor hissed his stomach knotting in concern as he allowed himself another quick glance in Missy's direction, yet unlike him the Time Lady appeared unconcerned in fact she almost appeared bored.

"Well this is exciting." Lord Strax pronounced taking over the crowd's attention; his face practically glowing with anticipation. "It seems we might have a real live Time Lord in our midst."

"Right is now the time to panic then?" Kate muttered sarcastically doing her best to remain calm even though part of her was screaming.

Dying in the line of duty was one thing, but dying so far away from home where her children would never what happened to her, where there would never be a body for them to bury…although considering what seemed to keep happening to people buried on earth a space burial might not be as bad as…

"For your safety and our security this room has been passively scanned since your arrival, call it paranoia but it does pay off on occasion, for example when a being with two hearts somehow tricks their way past my security." Lord Strax added his face twisting into something unpleasant. "Well soon to be ex-security, I do have an example to set. In fact if you turn to the window you should be able to witness his execution…"

Just as he said this a space suit floated passed the window, the person inside was quite clearly alive as they tried to scrabble for any hand hold possible but the gravitational pull of the black hole was too strong.

"Oh my god he's going to…" Osgood began before trailing off in horror.

"Swallowed up and crushed." The Doctor swallowed himself, the bitter tang of bile at the back of his throat as he watched a man die because of him, it wasn't the first time by a long shot and yet this seemed a particularly cruel and lingering death.

"Now we could ask all of you to undergo a full examination from our medical staff or I could simply start randomly executing people until I either run out or my uninvited guest steps forward." Lord Strax pronounced gleefully, reaching out and gasping one of the passing waitresses. "This little lovely for example." He added ignoring her whimpers and pleading as he raised a blaster and pressed it to the side of her head.

"Stop." The Doctor commanded stepping forward, the eyes of the room all on him now. "I'm The Doctor; I'm the one you're looking for there is no need for anyone else to be hurt."

"Doctor such a pleasure." Lord Strax greeted him warmly as if he hadn't just threatened a blood bath. "I was so hoping that you would pop in." He added teeth showing under his broad hard smile as he pushed the waitress away and advanced on his true prize.

"Yes well I've never been able to resist a party sorry for crashing without an invitation." The Time Lord quipped even as the droids advanced and surrounded him.

"Oh but Doctor you were most definitely invited in fact one might call you the guest of honour…" Lord Strax replied before turning to command his minion. "Seize his companions; keep them secure to ensure The Doctor's cooperation."

Cursing as she was seized and disarmed Kate could only glare at The Doctor as her and Osgood were led from the room.

"Now Doctor would you care to follow me I do believe we have some business to discuss?"

It was less of a question and more of a statement of fact and The Doctor could see no option other than to cooperate. Following behind Lord Strax, surrounded by a half a dozen armed droids The Doctor could only manage a quick glance back over his shoulder to look for Missy but the place where she was now was empty and The Doctor felt hearts sink. He was a silly old fool he should know better by now The Mistress wouldn't change, she was only ever out for herself and didn't care who got hurt in her silly schemes. Well he would find a way to stop this one and then they were done, Clara was right it was time to let go and move on, stop living in the past.

-/-


	8. Chapter 8

-/-

"Well what happens now?"

Surprised by the question Osgood turned her head to look at her boss who to be honest was taking this far better than she had expected. "Well normally an opportunity presents itself." Osgood explained to Kate even if to her own ears it sounded rather pathetic.

"Oh good as long as there is a plan then." Kate drawled resisting the urge to roll her eyes as their droid guards led them into a laboratory and secured them in place. "And until then we…what…just try not to die?"

"Hmmm." Osgood nodded distracted by something that had been bugging her and now with a quiet moment to think… "It just didn't make any sense…"

"What didn't?"

"They were expecting The Doctor to turn up; they were passively scanning the room looking for a Time Lord why didn't they find…"Osgood paused casting her gaze about the room she assumed their conversation was being monitored even if she couldn't see how. "….well you know who?"

"Maybe she found a way to fool their scanners, maybe she is working with them and set us all up?" Kate speculated the second scenario far more likely by her estimation. "And if she did well didn't we all fall in line like the good little pawns we are. I will say this for Missy at least she plans things a little more thoroughly."

"Aw you say the sweetest things should I cry or feign modesty?" A familiar Scottish accent all but purred and Osgood practically got whiplash turning her head to follow her voice, Missy stood in the doorway escorted by two of the droid guards.

Well that confirmed it then Missy had doubled crossed them, Kate could only hope this harsh lesson would help sort Osgood's head out…Osgood who hadn't so much as looked away from the Time Lady since she entered the room…

"That was not a compliment." Kate huffed, yet glancing between her subordinate and the Time Lady who seemed to be wholly engrossed in each other she doubted it would be that simple.

Kate wasn't sure whether to be relieved that at least her judgement hadn't been compromised or disappointed that Osgood had clearly been lying to her for months. There was no way Osgood hadn't been compromised, if Kate was being generous she might allow for some sort of mental conditioning being to blame, yet part of her couldn't help but wonder just how involved in this plot to capture The Doctor was Osgood?

"Oh sorry did you say something?" Missy added shaking off Skip's pleading gaze before crossing the room and picking up a rather nasty looking medical device, a playful smile dancing across her lips as she turned back to her captives. "Now if you will both cooperate this will go much easier for me and will certainly be less painful for the two of you; however it's been a rather dull day so far so please do feel free to struggle."

"Hmmmmmmmm who wants to go first?" She toyed with them swinging the pincer like device back and forth, "Or would you like me to choose?"

"I'll go first." Osgood spoke up before Kate could volunteer. Ignoring her boss's protest Osgood caught Missy's gaze and held it, surprised to see a flicker of warmth and something akin to approval in those icy blue depths, or was she merely projecting?

Osgood couldn't help but blame herself; she had gone back to UNIT and convinced The Doctor to come here. Kate had been dragged into the mess out of some lingering loyalty that Osgood knew she didn't deserve. All the evidence before her was that Missy had set her up, had used Osgood's overtures of friendship against her and yet…was she so pathetically hung up on wanting to cling to hope that Osgood refused to accept she had been wrong all along?

"Such a brave little thing." Missy mused lifting the pincer up and placing it around Osgood's neck.

Swallowing and closing her eyes as the cold metal surrounded and pinched into her skin Osgood tried her best not to panic, it was pressing in but not shutting off her airways…There was a hum and a sensation akin to a shiver of static electricity zapped across her skin. Yet it was more surprising than painful and Osgood opened her eyes to meet the twinkling amused gaze of The Mistress.

"So suggestible." Missy teased almost fondly, her fingers brushing along Osgood's jaw as she unclamped the device, bopping her playfully on the nose for good measure.

"Missy what is…" Osgood began only to be stopped by a manicured finger across her lips and a pointed warning in those blue eyes before Missy moved on a repeated the procedure on Kate.

"Two human females, no special genetic traits or augmentation, above average intelligence; I am going to chip them then you can take them away to skills processing." Missy commanded the waiting four droids who all turned and marched to take waiting positions by the door.

Winking at Osgood Missy grinned smugly before opening her mouth to speak again. "Command Override Alpha-511794."

And Osgood and Kate watched in amazement as the four heavily armed droids seemed to shut themselves down.

"Just a little safety feature I built in. After all you never know when your creations can be used against you." Missy remarked as if she was merely commenting on the weather whilst she studied her manicure yet it was clear she was angling for some sort of praise.

Yet when nothing was forthcoming she pouted fixing them both with a cutting gaze. "If only scientists were so easy to manage." She added her face warping from its previously calm expression to one of irritation. "But no you tell them one thing, just one thing, I've got it covered I don't need any help, certainly not the blundering Doctor kind and do they listen to you?"

"Missy I was only trying to…"Osgood began, the words dying in her throat as the irate Time Lady advanced suddenly an Osgood was convinced she was about to pay in pain or…

The sudden press of Missy's lips against hers sent Osgood's eyebrows shooting towards the ceiling. The press of a talented warm tongue cut off anything but the mildest squeak of protest but even as Osgood felt herself swooning into the kiss she noticed something was different…Missy tasted different.

When they broke apart both Missy and Osgood were breathing heavily and Missy sighed softly resting her forehead against her pet's for a moment of affection. "What are you doing here Skip? You shouldn't be here it's not safe."

"It's not safe for you either." Osgood retorted causing Missy to snort in amusement and a familiar smirk twisted at her lips, but her eyes…her eyes lacked any sort of real menace in them.

"I was worried." Osgood added eyes raking over the older woman, noting other little differences now she was looking for them… her lipstick was different not the usual blood red but a neutral colour, a shade that brought out the natural colour of her skin instead of washing it out, and the eye makeup was softer, gone was the heavy dark liner and icy colours that The Mistress favoured.

"Missy what has happened to you…this…" She paused directing her gaze to the sleek clothing and loose hair.

"It's called undercover pet." Missy drawled sarcastically reaching up to rub the traces of lipstick from Osgood's mouth. "Why don't you like it?"

"No…it's nice…Just different…" Osgood backpedalled, shifting uncomfortably as Missy continued to be so very overtly demonstrative in front of Kate, her boss who was staring at them in shocked silence.

"So you do like it." Missy teased hand running down her cheek and along the exposed slope of Osgood's neck, her smirk growing as Osgood swallowed nervously.

"Missy!" Osgood all but squeaked as Missy's hand continued further south.

"Oh Skip you're no fun sometimes…" Missy teased before reaching down and releasing her pet's handcuffs.

"Now I think it was time the two of you were leaving. You can find your way back to the Doctor's ship? Use my password to shut down the droids if you have to but only as a last resort."

Frowning Kate finally found her voice. "You're just going to let us go?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Missy retorted returning Kate's frown with one of her own. "You're just going to get in the way and probably end up getting hurt. As brilliant as I am even I cannot guarantee the success of my mission and keep two liabilities alive at the same time."

"Mission?" Kate questioned but she didn't object when Missy came and released her restraints, rubbing at her wrists as she eyed the unusually sane Mistress with a healthy dose of doubt.

"Yes and this is hardly the time for a status update." Missy tutted rolling her eyes. "Everything is on track, there really was no need for you to come and check up on me, and there was certainly no need to bring him..." Missy added her lip curling in derision as she lingered over the topic of The Doctor. "In fact his just being here puts my whole operation in jeopardy."

-/-

"Alright you've got my attention."

And they had from the moment Lord Strax led him through the security and into the vault like room he had The Doctor's full attention as standing surrounded by assorted bleeping consoles were three objects The Doctor had never expected to see again his lifetimes.

He knew it was playing into the Pirate King's hands but The Doctor couldn't resist the urge to rush over to them blue grey eyes wide as he took them in. One hand reached out shakily as if they were a mirage that would suddenly vanish if he touched them. Yet they were solid, real, unbelievably so.

"How did you find these? It's not…not possible…" He muttered running his hands over them. Yet they were real, and The Doctor winced as there was a stabbing sensation behind his eyes. The looms seemed to fade in and out of focus as if his eyes were trying to avoid looking at them for some reason.

Blinking his blurring vision The Doctor pushed through the pain and for a moment he caught some fragment… a memory flashed past; looms… thousands of them on a view screen… but before he could grasp hold it properly it vanished again. Cursing his own fallibility The Doctor tried to focus on the here and now. The looms were here and they were real and at least now he had the reason why Missy was here although The Doctor shuddered at the thought of what nefarious scheme she might have in mind for them…and well him…traditionally it would take at least two of them.

"Would you believe we found them simply floating in some debris like they were garbage. There were thousands of fragments enough to spawn a veritable army, but we only managed to find three intact…oh an occupied."

"Occupied?" The Doctor felt the words die in his throat. That he hadn't expected and his felt his hand trembling on the Loom's surface. Underneath his hand, separated by a few layers of metal was a Gallifreyan child.

Then what Lord Strax said actually sank in and The Doctor glanced towards the open pod. "Then why are there only two? What happened to the third?"

"Well we had to open one to find out what was inside." Lord Strax retorted innocently.

The Doctor stepped closer to the open pod, this close he could make out the jagged edge to the front of the pod where it had clearly been welded back together. "And the occupant? Where is it?"

"Ah." Here Lord Strax had the decency to look somewhat regretful, even if it was probably the loss of potential wealth that was the real motivation. "I'm afraid well accidents happen."

The Doctor wheeled around horrified. "It was a child."

"It was an accident, my salvage crew were a little too enthusiastic in opening the pod I'm afraid by my scientists could assess it, I even had to hire a specialist to make progress enough to be able to scan the remaining two. My medical team did their best but it was too late and it was too young to survive I am sorry." Lord Strax feigned grief his dark eyes glinting with something more akin to sadistic glee as The Doctor dangled on the end of his thread.

"You…you murderer."

"Now now Doctor. We did our best for the little thing, I was surprised I mean you hear all these myths about the vaunted Time Lords about your ability to cheat death, and yet your young are just as vulnerable as any other races."

"Alright you've made your point you showed me this for a reason what is it?"

"Because Doctor I am not an unreasonable man." The pirate grinned showing off his plated teeth. "I acquire things and sell them on for a profit, and I use that profit to build the glory of my clan. Now I have many many people here prepared to give me by body weight in gold for what I have here, but I have gold. I want something gold cannot buy Doctor. I want glory and honour, I want to be a god among mortals and in payment I let you open these pods and take your young away, I'll even provide you with the transport."

"What do you want?"

"I want access to unlimited wealth and power Doctor; I want something that only a Time Lord can give me, the ability to travel across the universe in a matter of moments and visit any point in time. I want your ship and you will give it to me or I will sell you, your technology and these children off to the highest bidder."

-/-


	9. Chapter 9

-/-

The Doctor needed time to think, time to come up with some brilliant idea that would save the day, and yet time was the one thing it seemed he didn't have. Somewhat ironic for a Time Lord.

"Well Doctor do you have an answer for me?" Lord Strax's demanded voice cut through The Doctor's fevered introspection.

What choice did he have? Time….he needed more time….to play for time.

Turning around The Doctor fixed Lord Strax with the hard gaze that had made legions of his enemies stop dead in their tracks, but the Pirate king was either to stupid or so confident that he held all the cards that he merely returned The Doctor's deadly gaze with a mocking smile.

"I will cooperate in releasing the children from the pods safely, after all why should I first agree to a deal when what I might get at the end is defective?" The Doctor sneered surprised when the Pirate merely laughed.

"You are my kind of negotiator Doctor, and I have no objection to your little stipulation, it only increases the value of my prize after all. However I will insist on your every move being monitored, I will assign one of my own to work with you." He added waving to the snivelling little official who then scurried off to do his bidding.

"You have till morning rotation Doctor." Lord Strax insisted with what some might have called a charming smile. "Now I really should re-join my guests. I wish you luck in your endeavours….Ah punctual as always my dear…"If it were possible Lord Strax's tone became even oilier.

Missy…The Doctor wasn't really surprised and it helped to keep anything from showing on his face as in walked the very person The Doctor had come here to save. Not that she needed saving it seemed, as usual The Mistress had even her enemies wrapped around her little finger…or other things. Yet even The Doctor had to avert his gaze as Lord Strax lifted her hand to his mouth to kiss.

His stomach lurching uncomfortably, a fact for which he blamed the fruity cocktail….there must have been pears in it somewhere.

He didn't dare lift his gaze again until the sound of automatic doors shutting signalled that Lord Strax and his entourage had left leaving him alone with Missy…well Missy and several heavily armed droid guards. Reaching down he fingered the outline of the sonic screwdriver still safely in his pocket, if luck was on his side he could figure out the frequency needed to shut the droids down but each one would take precious seconds…seconds in which the others could reduce him to nothing more than a pile of ash.

"Doctor shall we?" Missy's tone and smile were perfectly poised and pleasant as she gestured towards the consoles set up around the looms. Yet there was something playing about those too blue eyes of hers that was far more dangerous and for a moment The Doctor actually hesitated before his natural recklessness took over and he decided to call her bluff.

Fine he'd play his part, let her play out this silly charade she had going on, but only a fool let him anywhere near their equipment and The Mistress was no fool…so what was going on?

At first she ignored him completely, playing the part of observer by simply making notes on her stylus of his actions. Irritated The Doctor added in some totally unnecessary steps just to see if she would call him out on it but Missy merely huffed but didn't say anything. It was only when The Doctor deliberately moved to activate a switch that would flood the room with radiation that she reached out and smacked his hand. Wincing the Doctor shook his sore fingers and lifted them up to his mouth to soothe.

"Vicious much?" He mumbled around his fingers all whilst shuffling closer. Blue grey eyes lingered over her unbound hair, noting how it softened her features and brought out her eyes, before quickly trampling and squashing that thought away.

"I have a limited tolerance for your idiocy Doctor." Missy replied breezily as lightly as if she were commenting on the weather.

"Aye but not for play acting it seems." The Doctor retorted glancing back over his shoulder to see if the armed droids were reacting to their sudden conversation, but the machines appeared as still as statues.

"How did you do it…how did you hide yourself so completely…" The Doctor trailed off, even this close when his senses should be screaming at him there was another Time Lord present The Doctor couldn't pick up so much as a stray thought and it was maddening.

"Please like I am going to tell you all my secrets Doctor." Missy scoffed her fingers trailing over the controls as she continued on from where The Doctor had left off.

"Tell me does your new "friend" Lord Strax know who you really are or are you lying to him as well?" The Doctor muttered, frowning himself as his voice sounded a little too bitter.

"You know if my tactics offend you Doctor, I mean I know how the very premise of a well thought out plan brings you out in a rash; you do know where the door is." Missy replied turning her head and watching him out of the corner of her eye. "Just in case you are finally getting senile in your dotage dear its right behind you, do feel free to use it."

"I came because I was told you were in trouble, does that sound like something I would do if I hadn't learnt to accept you and your tactics?" The Doctor sighed barely resisting the urge to tug at his hair in frustration. "Rather than lecturing me we should be working together."

Snorting as if she heard something particularly amusing Missy reminded him. "No one asked you to come and I don't need your help."

"You mean you didn't ask me to come." The Doctor clarified. "Osgood however is another matter. And don't be stubborn Kosch there is too much at stake." He added eyes flickering to the Looms, his gaze flickering between Missy and the looms as a familiar ache began to build. Something was familiar, Missy and the Looms and his lost memories…

Shaking her head Missy stabbed her stylus a little more firmly than was needed. "Don't call me that, you gave up the right to use that name years ago. And as for Osgood silly sentimental thing you would think by now she would realise I can take care of myself."

"She cares about you." The Doctor replied the unspoken and I do too dying on his tongue in the light of the cold shoulder he was getting and the gnawing suspicion that was growing in his gut. A suspicion that would certainly account for why The Mistress might have suppressed his memories and just why she seemingly didn't want his help with this, a something that both damned her and made the potential contents of the Looms behind her even more precious. "That is a rare thing for people like us, don't throw it away."

"I assure you I have no intention of doing so, unlike you Doctor I do not simply runaway and abandon people I care about."

Reeling from that emotional stiletto The Doctor bit back an inflammatory retort that was just on the tip of his tongue. This was getting them nowhere, it was the same old dance and he was tired of it. "I didn't come here to fight with you Kosch I came to help."

"Don't call me that! Yes and a masterful job you are doing of it, crashing in no plan, putting my mission and my girlfriend in danger. I am not sure I could survive any more of your help Doctor so please do restrain yourself." The Missy hissed her patience with his pontificating finally at an end. "You are damn lucky that at least one of us had the foresight to jam surveillance of this little chat or the both of us would be shot dead by now."

"Girlfriend… Mission?" The Doctor was stunned, all of the little things together that just didn't make sense where now coming together to convince him that…

Uncomfortable at his scrutiny and looming proximity Missy stepped away, "What does the idea that I might have finally moved on bother you Doctor? I have everything under control I don't need you to rescue me. So why don't you go back to whatever twenty something chit of a girl has your attention this week and leave me to do my job!"

Only instead of leaving The Doctor reached out and grasped her elbow, pulling her closer. For a moment their faces were only inches apart and The Doctor could make out the flecks of darker blue in her irises and the way her breathing seemed to hitch as their breath mingled. Then he burrowed his face in the cloud of dark hair and breathed her in.

"Get off me! Guards!" Missy exclaimed as The Doctor's nose brushed her ear and he licked, actually licked the skin behind it, struggling in his iron grip but for some reason unable to break free.

Pulling his face out of her hair The Doctor stared down at Missy a look of pure shock on his face, it all added up now, the lack of telepathic presence, the change in scent, the weaker physical strength, the warmer skin.

"Oh Kosch what have you done to yourself?" The Doctor asked releasing the struggling Missy and reaching up to cup her face gently.

Frowning in genuine confusion Missy shrugged off the unexpectedly tender gesture, rubbing her rapidly bruising arm; relieved as her droid guards stepped up and restrained The Doctor. "Take him to a cell to cool off, inform Lord Strax I have enough to work out the procedure without him."

"Missy no!" The Doctor commanded not surprised when the former Time Lady refused to obey and the droids dragged him towards the door. "You can't they're just children."

"Wrong Doctor they are not just children they are my children and I am not going to let anyone keep them from me, not again." Missy hissed blue eyes wide, almost crazed as she followed The Doctor and the droids. Palming open the doors and watching smugly as that home truth settled even as he was forced from the room. "Not even the pathetic excuse they have for a father."

-/-


	10. Chapter 10

-/-

Children…their children…

The Doctor couldn't quite believe it and yet part of him had accepted Missy's statement without question, which was strange considering her track record for deceit. Yet the now constant throbbing in his head probably had something to do with it.

He needed time to think, to meditate, The Doctor knew he was closer now than ever to breaking through the memory block and he needed to…to understand how they could be his children…to understand why Missy seemed to want him nowhere near them?

Just what had he done to make her look at him like that? It would be comforting to try and convince himself it was all a ruse that The Mistress was taking advantage of his memory wipe to try and transfer blame. Yet there was something very real about her rage, that wasn't faked; so whether he was genuinely complicit or not Missy genuinely thought he was and she was as defensive as a lioness guarding her cubs.

He needed to know…he needed to talk to think…to talk to her properly…he needed these damn droids to stop dragging him along like a rag doll.

"You know I am capable of walking." The Doctor growled, surprised when the droids actually paused long enough for him to get his feet under him.

Stretching towards his pocket The Doctor managed to get his fingertips inside, faking a stumble was enough to get them locked around the tip and he flipped it up into his palm, flicking through the settings by memory alone.

There setting 43…the droid to his right suddenly froze, sparks shooting out of its chest, enough for The Doctor to wrench his arm free and turn to face the other…which already had its stun gun raised its tip glowing…

"Oh s…"

"Command Override Alpha-511794." A familiar voice called out and the droid shut down, the gun dropping but the shot still fired off, The Doctor braced himself before jumping as the blast burned as it otherwise passed harmlessly between his legs.

Closing his eyes as a wave of nausea passed over him The Doctor had to resist the very male urge to check…Yet there was no time as Osgood and Kate were bounding over to him relief apparent on both their faces.

"How did you do that?" The Doctor demanded unable to completely hide his professional pique at being outdone…his ego had already taken more than enough of a battering today.

"Missy gave us the password." Osgood answered a little too smugly for The Doctor's liking, perhaps it was Missy's taunt that was really to blame, but The Doctor found himself glaring at the young human female a little too harshly…was that a trace of lipstick on her…

"Doctor The Mistress she's not…" Kate began her blonde eyebrows knotted in frustration. "She let us go that is not normal. She barely even gloated."

Swallowing hard The Doctor couldn't meet Kate's gaze, his own stomach knotting in sympathy as he was forced to face the butchery Missy had done to herself. "She's human." He spat gesturing for Kate and Osgood to follow him.

They needed to get back to those Looms before Missy released them, once they were out it would far too easy for Strax to steal them away.

"There is no need to say that like it's something to be ashamed of." Kate spat back only partially mollified as The Doctor at least looked back over his shoulder a little abashed.

"But how is that even possible?" Osgood asked glancing between her boss and The Doctor, neither of whom looked as stunned by this as she was.

"It's this Chameleon device, turns a Time Lord into a human." Kate explained.

"How do you know about that?" The Doctor asked his thick eyebrows drawn low in suspicion, ducking into an alcove when he heard the sound of marching feet.

"We do debrief all UNIT personnel when they join us Doctor, and there is a whole assessment built around those staff who have had contact with you." Kate hissed.

"I don't know whether to be threatened or flattered." The Doctor snorted yet Kate Stewart carried on as if he hadn't interrupted.

"Dr Jones informed us about your residence on earth during 1913."

"Human's no concept of privacy." The Doctor huffed glancing around the corner waving Kate and Osgood to follow when the danger had passed.

"So Missy is really human?" Osgood questioned. "But she seemed so…so well her…"

"Yes physically, her Time Lord essence is secured inside a fob watch, she is able to access whatever skills and knowledge she has programmed herself to access, however the full knowledge of a Time Lord would currently cause her human brain to burn itself out."

"But she remembered me?" Osgood insisted unable to hide the blush that flamed her cheeks at the memory of just how Missy had remembered her.

Avoiding Osgood's gaze The Doctor pushed down the sudden flash of something dark and twisting that made him want to snap at Osgood, pushing it down to his stomach that was already churning.

"The human mind is highly suggestable. It will adapt to fit the requirements of the time, in this instance The Mistress probably left herself some sort of instructions around retrieving the looms and her human mind filled in the blanks in the story from whatever snippets of memory leaked through."

Sensing the tension coiling between The Doctor and Osgood Kate did her best to diffuse the tense situation. "Hmm I suppose that would fit she mentioned something about being on a mission, perhaps she has concocted a story about working for UNIT or something similar." Kate scoffed shaking her head in disbelief. "But why go to such extremes?"

"The scanners." Osgood supplied, her quick mind racing ahead. "She sent me in to check out their security arrangements, I mean look how quickly they picked up The Doctor being a Time Lord. She must have used her Tardis to go back in time, made herself human and then infiltrated the base before they even found the pods."

"Sensible." Kate nodded glancing across at The Doctor who seemed to be only seconds away from exploding.

"It's not sensible its fool hardy, she could die like this, and what if she lost the fob watch? She'd be stuck being human, no chance for regeneration." The Doctor's tone was harsh, too harsh, but they didn't…they couldn't understand. For a Time Lord to make themselves human, it made them vulnerable.

"You did it?"

"Yes once because there was no other choice at the time, I didn't want to be responsible for more deaths but don't you see when you are human anything can go wrong. I almost stayed human; I didn't want to change back into a Time Lord…"

"Is that what really frightens you that she won't want to change back?" Osgood asked not surprised that The Doctor chose not to answer, instead shooting her a look that practically screamed at her to shut up.

And so for once she did just that.

-/-

Missy hadn't needed The Doctor to work out how to release them. True her memory was a little fuzzy and staring at the strange circular symbols for too long caused her head to ache but Missy could still read them. It felt right to read them in a way other languages felt a little gritty, almost dirty.

Missy had just been waiting for the right time, the children had to mature until it was safe for them to survive and they had been in stasis during their sojourn in deep space. And whilst looming could be sped up, the resulting off spring could be well…less than stable…

Or so she had heard…or perhaps she had read…

Shaking her head Missy tried not to chase the memory. She often got these sudden flashes of insight, she didn't know where the knowledge came from and when she had tried to strain her memory in the past she only ended up with a migraine and terrible dreams.

"Just how long is this going to take?" The impatient voice of Lord Strax demanded from somewhere over her shoulder, the man was an odious pompous bore who relished enjoying the rewards rather than putting in the hard work.

"We're on the final sequence." Missy assured him, trying to control the way her skin literally crawled as the alien pirate breathed on her neck.

He had been drinking again, and Missy's sensitive nose prickled at the sour flavour. Still this should be the last night she was forced to endure his breath on her in any situation. It was just a damn shame her plan involved slipping away with her children whilst the idiot drunk himself stupid celebrating the imminence of his supposed victory; she would have enjoyed slitting his throat and watching those bulbous eyes widen with realisation.

"Good…."

Oh he was speaking again. Missy tuned it out her eyes locked on the looms that had begun to equalise with the surrounding environment, the complex locks finally unlocking and then…The reassuring sound of crying…

Stepping forward medical scanner in her shaking hands Missy made it to the first loom, her hand reaching out before she could stop herself and for a moment the crying paused as a scrunched up face used its eyes for the first time.

Blue…light blue eyes just like hers Missy couldn't help but touch the little face. Her touch conveying all of the relief she felt as her…her daughter returned her Mother's gaze and somehow seemed to stare through her.

The bing of the medical scanner disturbed the moment and Missy glanced down. Healthy…only not human…well she had expected that, their father wasn't human after all but she had hoped that they might take after her. After all Time Lord infants were rare and highly sought after but humans…well there were trillions of those lurking around the galaxy.

"One of each." Strax's gloating voice soured her mood further and if sensing her mother's change her little girl began to wail.

Unable to comfort her the way she wanted Missy had no choice but to leave her and move on to check on her brother…yes it was a boy…with darker blue eyes that might be grey in the right light.

Dark haired like his sister but already his showed the hint of a curl…his father's son. Unlike his screaming sister her boy stared up at her all wide eyes so trusting and Missy felt a part of her unravel.

Mine…A fierce protectiveness, so strong it was almost overwhelming and when Strax dared to lean forward and lay his disgusting hand on her child it took all of Missy's restraint not to murder him right then and there. She would have had they been alone but Missy would take no risks with her children's safety.

"They need to be properly checked out, fed and dressed." Missy cut in before Strax could go so far as to actually pick her boy up. "We wouldn't want any accidents…" She left the implication to sink in smirking as Strax pulled away as quickly as possible.

"Fine just take the droids with you. As you say we don't want any accidents." Strax ordered her, pausing for a moment to press a kiss to her cheek and Missy feigned a smile at his unwanted sign of affection.

Droids perfect…Missy reached in and picked up her son, surprised at how heavy he actual was, far larger than a normal new-born. Balancing him in one arm she returned for her squalling daughter, shushing her gently and succeeding in quietening her. Now she just had to wait for Strax and his pirate guard to leave before she could make good her own plan to escape.

It had taken her weeks of slow careful work but she had managed to create a small enough gap in the heavily shielding covering the medical bay to allow her to activate a teleporter. Just a few more minutes and she could be halfway across the quadrant leaving Strax to interrogate and antagonise the galaxies worst races in an attempt to uncover who had stolen his prize. They'd finish him off for her whilst Missy and her children were safely hidden and The Doctor would drive himself insane worrying just who had them.

Come to think of it things had turned out even better than she had planned.

Well apart from Osgood's involvement in bringing The Doctor here she should have foreseen it. She would have to give her up; she couldn't trust Osgood wouldn't betray her out of a sense of doing the right thing. Her Pet still had a stubborn insistence that The Doctor was someone to be admired even after seeing with her own eyes how much of a…of a…

The sound of a claxon jarred Missy from her fuming and it stopped Strax just as he was almost out the door.

"Report." Strax demanded causing the simpering official that followed him to rush over to the wall terminal.

"A patrol has found the droids assigned to escort The Doctor, one was fused the other deactivated and they checked his two female companions never arrived at skills processing."

"Curses." Lord Strax hissed his face turning an even more unattractive shade as he turned back to Missy.

"It is too dangerous my dear, you will have to stay here with the children it is the most secure room on the base, I cannot risk my prizes with The Doctor on the loose. I will have someone bring you everything you need and since it appears The Doctor has compromised your droids will leave you some of my guards."

Forcing a smile whilst inwardly she was screaming Missy nodded her compliance, watching as the door shut trapping her inside. Holding her children tighter Missy cursed the damn Doctor with every foul thing she could think of, he always ruins everything and now they are trapped.

Right it was time for Plan B.

-/-


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Text

-/-

They were close, they just had this intersection to cross then they were back at the main hall. The only problem was that the corridors here were busy with the many races who had earlier been at Lord Strax's party, and even inebriated there was bound to be at least one who recognised them and raised the alarm.

"We just need a little distraction." The Doctor theorised out loud, clever grey eyes scanning the busy intersection before settling on the fire suppression system. Yes that might do….

Sonic out he pointed it at the control panel…

BOOM…The station literally shook and people began to scream as the corridor filled with powdered CO2 and the shriek of an evacuation alarm.

"Doctor what did you do?" Kate demanded from her prone position whilst cradling her right arm, it had smacked right into the wall as she fell and Kate had heard a crack.

"It wasn't me!" The Doctor insisted. "It really wasn't." His guilt written all over his face as he was torn between helping an injured friend and taking advantage of the chaos. "Look there is no time to explain you have to go back to The Tardis."

"No Doctor we can't just leave Missy…" Osgood insisted only to be cut off by The Doctor who grabbed her shoulder to stop her from rushing off blindly into the fray.

"I have no intention of leaving Missy or the children I will find them but you have to go back, the Tardis will protect you. If I don't make it back and the station explodes then The Tardis will initiate the emergency protocol to return my companion home. You'll end up in Clara's flat and probably give her grandmother palpitations but it is better than the alternative."

"Then how will you escape?" Kate demanded her blue eyes showing the same stubborn streak as The Doctor, if it meant abandoning him to his certain doom then there was no way she was going back to The Tardis.

"I'll find Missy she must have a Tardis hidden somewhere." The Doctor reassured her bending down he took the bottom of Kate's jacket and wrapped it over, buttoning it up over itself to form a makeshift sling.

Wincing as this jarred her broken arm Kate couldn't help but remind him. "Missy is probably behind this."

"I know." The Doctor conceding, acknowledging her concern even as he planned to ignored it. "But I cannot just leave them behind. As brilliant as she still is Missy is no longer a Time Lord and I will not trust her life or m…the children's to luck." He added stumbling over his almost slip up.

As much as he liked Kate The Doctor wasn't so sure he would trust her and by extension UNIT with the knowledge that the foundling Gallifreyian children were not as orphaned as they first appeared. No they would already be enough of a high profile target because of their race, the truth about their parentage would slap an irresistible bounty on their heads, only these people would come to kill not simply capture.

Getting to his feet The Doctor barely had time to brace himself before another blast rocked the world around him. Now the corridors were a seething stampede of people trying to escape to their ships. Turning back to Kate he waved her off in the direction back to the Tardis before turning around intending to order Osgood to do the same…

Yet the UNIT scientist was suddenly nowhere to be found.

-/-

Pushing her way through the crowd Osgood tried her best not to panic, something easier said than done when everybody else was heading away from the station core and out to the docking stations. Now was not the time to get herself worked up enough to need her inhaler. She had to find Missy.

It wasn't that she didn't trust The Doctor…oh now who was she kidding…Osgood could admit if only to herself that after looking at the world through Missy tinted lenses she had gradually lost her own rose tinted ones.

The Doctor for all his brilliance wasn't infallible and Osgood knew he was capable of making the hard decisions. Yet Osgood wasn't prepared to just accept the hard decision that left her friend behind, to sit behind at the Tardis unable to influence anything and hope for the best. So instead here she was rushing headlong into danger not even certain she was going in the right direction, only certain that the opposite of where everyone else was heading had to be towards the centre of the station.

Oomphhhhhhhhhh.

The collision was inevitable and Osgood was the one to go crashing into the wall as six foot of solid alien something knocked into her.

The air knocked out of her lungs Osgood scrabbled for her inhaler as she tried to slowly ease air back into her lungs without panicking and blacking out. Another crash and her precious inhaler went skidding across the floor being kicked and probably crushed by passing feet. Unable to do anything but try to breathe and not panic Osgood waited until the crushing mass of people dwindled down to the odd one or two before reaching out groping for her inhaler.

Fortunately it had lodged against the far wall and Osgood was able to get at least two inhalations of the precious gas before the slow puncture wound in the canister rendered it useless. Picking her battered and bruised self off of the floor, Osgood set off again, this able to make her way almost unimpeded save for the collection of debris people had abandoned in their haste.

Even so the next explosion robbed her of her balance and Osgood curled up tightly as best to avoid breaking bones. Huddled on her belly among shoes and the detritus of other people's lives Osgood couldn't help the whimper of pain. This was so not how she had wanted to spend her day. Yet as she dragged herself back her feet her gaze landed on something far more interesting and far more useful that some assorted spare parts…something that looked a lot like a weapon.

For a moment Osgood hesitated. She was a scientist not a soldier, guns had their place and that was normally as far from her hands as possible.

Yet she was torn. It almost as though she had two different voices sitting on each shoulder, one that sounded almost like The Doctor told her to leave it alone to not go down that path of least resistance….the other had a distinctly Missy twang to it and it mocked her for being a silly sissy of a Skip after all just because she had a gun it didn't mean she actually had to use but if she needed it but didn't have it then wouldn't she feel stupid.

Fine…Osgood's fingers closed around the weapon, picking it up and tucking it into the waistband of her trousers…Ignoring the way it felt far heavier than it actually weighed she started forward again all the while trying not to think of what the real Doctor's reaction would be.

-/-

There were too many of them.

Missy was surrounded by a whole troop of guards and droids, one or two she could have dealt with even with her hands full, but not the full troop not even with the knife hidden in her boot.

Every time there was another explosion Missy braced herself, cradling both of her crying children close and absorbing any damage herself as they were battered about. The loud noises and psychic trauma from all the panicking people had them in hysterics and Missy did her best to try and calm them, to project a sense of reassurance. Yet it was quickly becoming clear she was as much a failure as a mother as she was in planning escape routes.

She had set the explosives weeks ago as an alternative plan certain that there would be opportunities to slip away in the resulting chaos if for some reason the teleporter failed. Yet either Strax was smarter than he looked, not likely in Missy's opinion, and his suspicious nature meant not even his lover was to be trusted or her luck was just that bad. Bad enough that Strax had insisted on her remaining in the vault until he and the rest of his guards could escort her and the two time tots to his waiting ship.

A ship that was all too rapidly approaching and with it any practical hope of escape. Half of the guards had already stepped through the station airlock and into the ship…

"Theoretical question." A familiar voice suddenly called out. "Why should you always check a Time Lord's pockets?" The Doctor added stepping out of an alcove and into the middle of the surprised group.

"Doctor!" Strax yelled before turning to glare at his guards. "Well what are you waiting for shoot him!"

Yet the sudden buzz cut them off and the double doors of the airlock closed down around them cutting off the bulk of Strax's men, some trapped inside the ship the others inside the station proper and Missy, Strax himself and two armed guards inside the belly of the airlock.

"Answer." The Doctor smugly held up his sonic screwdriver. "Now no one but me can open those doors. We're trapped unless I choose to release us."

"Do you really expect me to believe you would be willing to die Doctor?" Strax snorted waving to his guards. "Just kill him already."

"Wait…wait just think about it." The Doctor insisted causing the two armed guards to pause.

"Are you willing to take the chance that I am telling the truth? Those are blast doors it would take more fire power than you have in here to cut your way out if I am telling the truth and frankly I don't think you have the time to play what if. But I can open them in seconds I'm simply offering you a deal, your life. Give me the children and you get to walk away with your life intact and that is more than many of my enemies can boast of." The Doctor added darkly as the station was rocked by another explosion.

"How many more of those can this station take?" The Doctor asked grey eyes flickering between his captive audience doing his best to avoid looking in Missy's direction even as he could feel their children reaching out telepathically, blindly searching for something or someone to latch on too.

"Surely you can already feel it?" He nodded towards the shaking walls. "The anti-grav repulsors are failing, if this station isn't blown apart first then it is going to be drawn into that pretty black hole and crushed like a tin can."

"You'll be crushed too Doctor, you and these innocent little children that you came here to save." Strax countered reaching out and snatching one of the babes from Missy's arms forcing The Doctor to look at it…to really look at it…to stare into a familiar pair of bright blue eyes.

A girl with eyes like her mother…for a moment The Doctor was struck by such a powerful sense of deja-vu…he had to shake his head to force out the image of Missy's up turned face, those evocative blue eyes filled with hope and promise even as her face was grotesquely splattered with blood…The sudden press of her lips…

No not now…he couldn't get distracted.

"Better to die a quick death than to live as a slave." The Doctor countered yet his composure was tested as Strax pulled a blaster from one of his guard's hands and pressed it to his daughter's head.

"Really let us put that theory to the test shall we." Strax gloated watching as the certainty drained from The Doctor's face.

"No I didn't think so Doctor. Open the door now or I will kill this one as a warning and still have one left over for leverage."

-/-


	12. Chapter 12

-/-

It had taken her far longer than she would have liked but Osgood had found them, hanging back out of sight she waited until the armed guards trapped on her side of the airlock deserted. Not that she could blame them for doing so, loyalty to a lord like Strax only went so far and certainly not to the extent of risking your life for him.

Creeping forward Osgood kept low so as to not attract attention, making it over to the door controls which were locked beyond her ability to unpick. Instead she had settle for watching the drama unfold through the small window in the blast door. She could see the back of Missy and two infants, and if she strained she could make out the edge of The Doctor's coat but they weren't alone unfortunately, there were two armed guards with their blasters out trained on The Doctor.

The atmosphere was clearly tense as the two soldiers whose expression she could see easily looked a hairs trigger away from firing and Osgood could only hope The Doctor had one of his brilliant speeches up his sleeve.

Then suddenly Lord Strax was moving and Osgood could only stifle her protest as he knocked into Missy, knocking her to the ground and snatched one of the children from her arms and for a moment Osgood got a good look at the child's face, something which ended any lingering doubts she might have over the child's parentage. Then she watched horrified as Strax actually held a blaster to the infants head

Well that sealed his fate, even if The Doctor somehow managed to talk him out of pulling the trigger Osgood knew Strax was a dead man walking. Missy was going to kill him and for once Osgood didn't even flinch from the thought.

-/-

Checkmate…

Stalemate…

Deadlock…

The Doctor glared down at Lord Strax his eyes unfathomably dark and foreboding under his furrowed eyebrows. "Give me the child."

"Open the doors." Strax countered smugly. "Come now Doctor that is hardly unreasonable, I'll even promise not to have my men shoot you…Of course I have no intention of letting you on board my ship so the chances are high that you'll die anyway but I do believe in giving a fighting chance."

"You would really risk your lives for the sake of profit?" The Doctor countered. "We have less than a few minutes before it will be too late for even your ship to escape the black holes gravity well, take my offer and leave."

"No Doctor there is no risk when you know someone is bluffing, you are a terrible liar. You are not a man who can stomach having the blood of innocent children his hands so yes I am sure you will release us." Strax sneered, his fingers tightening on the gun. "However if you require a demonstration of my resolve please just say so, as I already said I have a spare."

"You know nothing about me Strax, there was a time when these hands were stained with the blood of an entire planets children." The Doctor growled warningly as the station around them gave a worrying shudder.

Glancing over Strax's shoulder The Doctor's gaze locked momentarily with Missy's and he shrunk back under the weight of the loathing he saw in it…and for a moment another image of her almost overlaid the first…a blood splattered Mistress staring at him in disbelief and horror as he aimed his sonic at some control board and triggered an explosion that sent the world around them into chaos.

No…He couldn't have…For a moment there was only the rush of fire and blood and disbelief in The Doctor's mind. The visceral taste of Missy's lips and blood on his tongue. A view screen filled with a familiar orange planet and a choice….a terrible choice…Oh god he hadn't…

Staggering under the force of the returning memory The Doctor barely had time to react when Missy suddenly snapped.

"Not my daughter you bastard!" She screamed as she leapt up from the floor stiletto in hand that she had pulled from somewhere, jamming it hard into the shoulder that was holding the blaster causing Strax scream out and his grasp on it to falter.

Taking up the slack The Doctor leant forward and snatched their little girl from Strax's other arm before sonicing the door that led back into the station. The stunned guards took one look between their boss and potential freedom and quickly decided to abandon him like their predecessors had done.

Pushing past them Osgood rushed in and quickly picked up the other child that Missy had left on the relative safety of the floor cradling the crying little boy against her unable to do anything more than watch as Missy let loose a wave of violence on the screaming Strax.

"No one…ever…touching…them…" She punctuated each word with a blow from her little knife, relishing the little gargling noises Strax was making.

So much more pleasant than the usual heavy breathing she had been forced to endure, just the memory of this creatures hands on her skin made her feel sick but that was nothing to the feeling of pure fury at the thought of him touching her children.

Yet the pirate king refused to go down without a fight, scrabbling for his dropped blaster with his other hand he turned back to his onetime lover.

"You bitch." He hissed trying to lift it up to get a shot off but an unhinged Missy was on him before he could pull the trigger, the force of her attack knocking them both to the floor.

For what felt like forever they rolled and fought over the blaster. Osgood scrabbled for her own blaster yet there was never a clear enough shot and she was uncertain of her own aim. What was the point in firing if she only hurt Missy.

"No!" The Doctor's protest cut her off reaching out he snatched the blaster from out of Osgood's hand and threw it away in disgust.

"Doctor we have too he…." Osgood began only for the sound of a blaster discharging at close quarters to cut her off.

For a moment the silence was deafening, only the slow groaning of the protesting station could be heard as it began to buckle under the increasing pressure outside. Neither Missy nor Strax were moving and Osgood felt like she was about to vomit up her insides.

"Missy?" Osgood whimpered edging forward, surprised when The Doctor literally thrust the other child onto her and for a moment Osgood was grateful for the distraction, she had barely held one child before and never two.

His hands shaking The Doctor reached down and roughly dragged Strax off of Missy. It didn't take a doctor to see the huge gaping wound in the pirate king was fatal yet it was the burnt and bleeding wound in Missy's own side that really had him concerned.

"No… No…No…."Bundling off his jacket The Doctor pressed it against her wound, relieved beyond reckoning when Missy's eyes flickered open, even if there blue depths looked confused and clouded with pain.

"Doctor?"

"It's not that bad you'll be fine." The Doctor reassured her, forcing a half smile.

"You always were a terrible liar Thete and you've never got any better." Missy sassed him, wincing as The Doctor took her hand and pressed it against her wound. "Just telling the truth dear no need to be so rough."

"You need to keep on the pressure." The Doctor chastised her, refusing to accept or admit to himself and certainly not to her just how bad it was looking.

He couldn't he wouldn't lose her now, not when they were so close to winning. How in the name of Gallifrey could he face every day with their children knowing what he did, knowing what he chose, knowing just how many of their siblings he had murdered. No he needed Missy, he couldn't do this on his own…call him a coward he didn't care but he couldn't accept a universe that didn't include The Mistress in it.

"It won't do any bloody good silly boy, one of us isn't an idiot remember?" Missy countered wishing there was time enough to say everything that suddenly seemed so important. "Doctor I'm sorry I…."

Avoiding her gaze Doctor choked back tears. "Stop that there is no need. We'll get you to a doctor," he paused not needing to see her gaze to know she was rolling her eyes, even human Missy was still The Mistress in so many ways, "A proper doctor one who can fix this I promise."

"No time love, you need to leave, this place is going to blow up any minute now I know I set the charges." Missy sighed at his stubbornness, it hurt knowing that even now he couldn't seem to bear to look at her.

Reaching up she touched his face gently forcing The Doctor to meet her gaze. "Go. Take the children and go with my blessing."

"Fine." Doctor grunted yet there was no resignation in his face only stubborn determination as he picked her up, "We have to get back to the Tardis." He added mainly for Osgood's benefit although the UNIT scientist wondered if he wasn't also daring Missy to disagree with him.

Yet it was probably a testament to how badly injured Missy was that she didn't protest when he picked her up. Just whimpered and curled into his chest and The Doctor and Osgood began to race through the station's corridors.

The ground underneath the feet began to warp, metal struts began to buckle and crack and more than once they were forced to stop and find another way as the path in front of them suddenly became unpassable.

At some point Missy passed out in The Doctor's arms but the Doctor didn't dare stop. Missy's warning about the final explosive charge still dominated his thoughts and The Doctor could still feel her single heart beating and that had to be enough to reassure him.

They had just made it to the corridor in which the storage unit where the Tardis was hiding when something somewhere exploded.

"Doctor!" Osgood screamed in panic as rushing down the corridor towards them was a wall of fire.

"RUN!" The Doctor commanded jumping over buckled metal and literally throwing himself and Missy through the open door before reaching and back and with barely a milliseconds grace dragging Osgood and the children through after him. Falling into The Tardis open doors and landing heavily on the floor The Doctor was unable to do anything as the wall of fire twisted and followed them.

The sudden slam of the Tardis's doors saved them all, and a more than slightly winded and singed Doctor stared up into the angelic face of Kate Lethbridge Stewart.

"Cutting it a bit fine Doctor!" Kate barked and the Time Lord staggered to his feet, making it to the central console and slamming down the dematerialisation lever.

Safe…the soft crooning reassurance of his Tardis was both for him and the terrified infants still clutched in Osgood's inexperienced grasp yet the Time Lord thanked whoever was looking after them that the scientist had chosen to ignore his advice and go looking for Missy herself. If it hadn't been for her then The Doctor would have been forced to choose between Missy or the children, even he couldn't have carried all three to safety.

Not that they were out of the woods by any means.

Sinking to his knees Missy's blood staining his shirt. The Doctor pressed his fingers to Missy's pulse point. Still there but thread and weak already Missy skin felt cooler to the touch, normal for a time lord but dangerous for a human. Much like this wound in her side, a Time Lord could control the bleeding, could stimulate repairs, enough to allow them to get proper medical attention.

"Where is it?" The Doctor muttered to himself, hands running over Missy's jumpsuit, checking the pockets even going so far as to tug off her boots…she had hidden a knife in there…but it wasn't there.

"No it has to be here." The Doctor insisted refusing to accept the alternative that it had been left behind on the station that was just destroyed. That Missy was doomed to spend the rest of her limited life as a human…

"Doctor please she needs medical attention." Osgood insisted passing the children into the far more experienced hands of her boss and moving to kneel beside the barely breathing body of her friend.

Cursing the lack of time The Doctor knew that there was only one thing left he could do. Shaking his hand until a golden glow appeared he pressed it against Missy's wound which to the general amazement of Kate and Osgood, who had never actually seen regeneration energy before; it seemed to close up her wound before their eyes.

"Doctor is she?" Osgood began tentatively her brown eyes welling with tears as Missy took one breath and then another deeper still. Her chiselled cheeks no longer had that waxy texture and her lips were slowly returning to their natural rosy hue.

"She'll live." The Doctor pronounced but there was little joy in his voice as he brushed the hair back from Missy's face his fingers lingering on her temples but there was only the dull muffle of static that all human brains produced.

Everything that had been Time Lord about her was gone, lost, and in a way it was just as if he had still lost, as if she had still died.

"Live as a human." The Doctor spat bitterly which for a Time Lord was like handing down a diagnosis for a terminal illness.

-/-


	13. Chapter 13

-/-

The Doctor hated hospitals; it was ironic given his chosen title. Yet there were some things even he couldn't make better and most of them could be found within the walls of a hospital. For a Time Lord with multiple existences and centuries of life span the concept of a permanent death was an uncomfortable one to face, so they just…didn't…and The Doctor who was an atypical Time Lord in everything else was surprisingly conformist in this one thing.

Although he supposed as he kept a watchful gaze on the two children gazing around at their surroundings in wonder, as children of all races did before they had learnt the concept of fear, that he was going to have give up much of his atypical lifestyle…settling down…being a father…

Once upon a time when fatherhood had been thrust upon him back in his first regeneration The Doctor hadn't dealt with it perhaps as well as he could have done. He had tried his best to live as a Time Lord should. Attended the academy and passed…well scraped through…and accepted the position that his graduate status entitled him too.

When his family arranged his marriage he hadn't even tried to fight it.

There had only ever been Koschei who he had entertained having a deeper relationship with. Yet his friend's father had made it only too clear what would happen if The Doctor continued on with their school yard dalliance. He could never have been responsible for his best friend being disowned, of losing the vaunted position that being a scion of the House of Oakdown entitled him too.

It seems laughable looking back now that The Doctor had chosen to let go of the one relationship that had actually endured over all these years. All to allow his friend the opportunity to ascend to the High Council one day and maybe even one day the presidency itself. Although if he was being honest with himself, a fleeting lapse that would correct itself soon enough, The Doctor had been probably a little too happy to have an excuse that made it somebody else's fault…

That it wasn't really fear or cowardice at what pursuing a true life bond with his best friend would have entailed.

So he made his safe political marriage. He cared and in his own way even came to love his wife and his children but it was always awkward. He had always wanted more, always looked to the rest of the universe and hungered for what was out there and not what he already had. His wife had raised their children and they became the models of a Gallifreyan citizen that The Doctor knew he was only pretending to be.

Susan was the first time he really allowed another being after Koschei into both of his hearts.

His tiny wilful granddaughter was like looking into a mirror and seeing himself reflected in all of his atypical glory. He didn't care that she was a "disappointment", so what if she didn't pass the exams for the academy, it was full of over inflated windbags any way. She had more courage and love in her little finger than all of those shrivelled up fossils had in both hearts and all of their regenerations combined.

So when it all became too much, when The Doctor simply had to leave Gallifrey and all their rigidity behind he had taken that darling girl away. Stole a Tardis and fled.

Well he still had the Tardis but this time there could be no running away…this time the responsibility of fatherhood would follow him now no matter how far he tried to run.

And yet that thought didn't scare him as much as he thought it would. Was he finally ready?

Reaching out The Doctor trailed his fingertips lightly across his daughter's cheek, pushing enough of his own presence into his touch that her bright blue eyes were literally riveted on his face. Already he could feel her distinctive mental presence following the pathway he had laid out, so strong, so very much her mother's daughter, and for a moment her very essence brushed against his mind.

It was humbling to be the recipient of such innocent trust and joy.

His hearts both sang and broke in equal measure.

He wanted to dance with joy and drown in his guilt.

They should be dead, a vindictive part of his own mind reminded him and The Doctor quickly hid his more painful emotions that behind his own mental shield. His daughter at least should be spared that. If only The Doctor could himself be so fortunate. Humanity had a saying ignorance is bliss and now that his memory block had finally dissipated and now The Doctor could remember it all he found himself agreeing with them.

Rassilon's torture of both him and Koschei.

The trap Rassilon tried to set by using The Mistress only for it all to backfire on him when she turned her own weapon on herself then used The Nethersphere to resurrect herself.

That his own rescue came at the hands of Missy and a surprising appearance of young Ms Osgood and…

Murderer…

Saviour of Gallifrey…Gallifrey falls no more…but at what cost?

A thousand faces probably so similar to the one staring so trustingly up at him now, gone, wiped out all by him.

"Is this a private pity party Doctor or is anyone invited?" A familiar voice remarked and The Doctor's introspection was set aside as his head jerked up to see the mirror of his daughter's eyes staring out warily from a hospital bed.

"I was just…thinking…" The Doctor confessed although it was far from effusive and from the sarcastic eyebrow that Missy shot him he guessed she felt the same. "I…How are you feeling?" The Doctor asked changing tactics as he awkwardly got his feet and shuffled closer to her.

"Like I should be dead but I'm not." Missy replied eyes narrowing. "Why do I get the impression you might have had something to do with that?"

"Well I couldn't just let you die…."

"Why not?" Missy huffed as though genuinely amused by his reply. "It wouldn't be like it would be the first time." She added bitterly, a frown contorting her brow, as The Doctor suspected she was struggling to process impressions of memories that just couldn't be true, that didn't make any sense to her human brain.

After all human's didn't regenerate so The Doctor suspected her mind had turned her actual deaths into merely near death experiences, even so he suspected that was more than enough reason for her to hold a life time of grudges.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor sighed.

"For what?" Missy snorted. "Saving me this time or not saving me before?" She asked before shaking her head. The answer didn't really matter, that was all water under a very old bridge and she was so very tired of dwelling on it.

Instead her eyes fixed on the child in The Doctor's arms. Her daughter was paying rapt attention for a child of her age, far more alert than a human child would be, and Missy surprisingly didn't want her first memory of her parents to be one of them fighting. A quick panicked glance confirmed that her son was also in the room, yet he appeared to be dozing in some sort of infant carrier.

Safe…they were both safe…that was all that mattered.

Expectantly Missy held out her arms for her daughter, a frisson of fear building when The Doctor actually seemed to hesitant before finally handing her over.

It was only when the solid weight of her child was in her arms that Missy felt the tense coil within her unwind slightly. When she could press her cheek against her soft baby hair and breathe in the scent that was her child.

Watching in unaccustomed silence The Doctor struggled to swallow down a hard lump that had appeared in his throat as a memory so old and yet so very poignant hammered him between the eyes and the hearts.

He had forgotten…how on earth had he forgotten?

Koschei…his oldest friend proudly parading around his first, and as it would turn out, not his only offspring with distinctly un-Gallifreyan pride. A daughter.

The Doctor had been privileged to be one of the first non-family members to meet the new arrival, and he now remembered how that child had never left her father's arms. How Koschei had tended to her every need with obvious pride and The Doctor felt his own shame at his own lack of parental instinct…and more than a tinge of jealousy.

He had broken with tradition himself in bringing the newly loomed infant a gift instead of commissioning some dry piece of research or artistic installation that only contributed to the ever growing ego of the Time Lord race. A brooch, from earth; Koschei had indulged him in his fancy promising that as soon as she was old enough not to prick herself on the dark star alloy fastening she would have it.

The Doctor couldn't recall ever seeing the child wear it but then at that point he and Koschei had already begun to disagree on many things. Yet he had seen it again, centuries upon centuries later, only he hadn't recognised it at the time. The Mistress wore it. Perhaps out of sentimentality, perhaps as an act of remembrance…

Only now it was lost…lost like the pocket watch…lost like the essence of his oldest friend…

The Doctor clenched his fists as he had to fight down the instinct to punch something had until it felt as wretched as he did right now. In front of him was the very picture of maternal contentment, and yet it was taunting him by its very mockery of his dreams. This wasn't Koschei holding their child, this wasn't even The Mistress his arch nemesis with her razor wit and deadly games… this was Missy the human incarnation, the very mortal, very vulnerable shadow of the person he once knew and…

"Would you please stop glaring at me Doctor I don't know what I am supposed to have done wrong by your vaunted hypocritical standards this time…"

"Why did you do it?" The Doctor asked the only question that he needed some sort of answer for, his blue grey gaze raking over her face as though somehow his old friend might resurface if only for a second and he might miss it. "Why Kosch?"

Lifting her gaze from her daughter's face Missy fixed The Doctor with a look that conveyed her total belief in the summation of his idiocy. "They are my children Doctor what wouldn't I do for them."

"No." The Doctor shook his head sadly. "I didn't mean…You really don't remember do you?"

"I remember standing in an airlock while you played a game of poker with our children's lives in the balance." Missy huffed before adding bitterly. "I remember putting my life at risk to save you only to get tortured and experimented on by some crazy Time Lord. I remember …I remember what you chose; I remember what you did…And you wonder why I didn't come to you for help? Besides I remember enough, I know I'm not what I was….I know something is missing…but I'm still me and the rest doesn't matter."

Raking his hands through his hair The Doctor pulled on the lengthy silver strands. "I'm sorry…I can never even begin to explain how sorry I am…"

That might even be true Missy supposed, yet The Doctor and his guilt had never particularly interested Missy in the past and even though it was good to see him stew in his own juices for once, it was not as satisfying as she had anticipated it would be. As ridiculous as it was considering their past, part of her actually ached to see him so very distraught, fingers almost twitching to reach out and soothe…

Yet a timely interruption from the little darling in her arms saved Missy from that embarrassment and she returned her full attention to her daughter who had seized a handful of her Mother's dark hair and was showing off her impressive Time Lord genetics.

"She's so strong." Missy marvelled through the sharp nagging pain, her own bright blue eyes raking over her daughter's features taking in the things that were all her…nose… fortunately and eyes and chin…and what reminded her of her father?…the ears looked a little like his.

"Who do you think he looks more like?" Missy asked softly craning her neck to get a glimpse of her sleeping son who seemed content to miss the family drama entirely.

"Like himself." The Doctor remarked like it was blindly obvious, for once totally innocent of the glare Missy shot his way.

All faces were the same to him, this regeneration had struggled with it from day one and The Doctor had made use of other means to distinguish one human from another. Clara's large eyes and voice were a constant that The Doctor relied on. Other times it was a person's height or hair style, or even as he came to know them better the distinct energy field that surrounded every living thing in galaxy, everyone had a slightly different frequency to them.

With Time Lords it was much easier, their telepathic signature was what stood out and by now The Doctor could probably find the two time tots blindfolded in a pitch black room, what they looked like was immaterial….although The Doctor could at least recognise Missy's distinctive bright blue eyes in the squishy blob that was his daughter's face.

Yet clearly this was important to Missy for some reason The Doctor couldn't fathom. So he moved and retrieved the carrier, bringing their son over to join the party. Glad when he did as Missy reached out a free hand to touch his own tiny one.

"So perfect aren't they." Missy muttered, speaking aloud but not really to the only other adult in the room. "Hard to believe something so incredible could come from all this mess."

"Yes." The Doctor answered anyway and Missy shot him a surprised glance that was almost tepid, well that was progress at least.

"I suppose we should really name them." Missy added even though she kept her gaze locked on her children, something about the way The Doctor was watching her felt unsettling; it was as though he was looking through her, into her waiting for something else or someone else to emerge.

"Actually…" The Doctor began clearing his throat awkwardly.

"No…no you didn't." Missy could only stare at him in disbelief and growing distress. "You wouldn't dare…"

"Koschei…" The Doctor began placatingly only to be cut off by a sharp slap.

"I told you never to call me that again. That is not my name Doctor." Missy drawled The Doctor's own moniker mockingly even as her bright blue eyes promised bloody vengeance for his latest betrayal. "How could you name them without me?"

"I had no choice." The Doctor snapped back, how own frayed nerves were like live wires and Missy was playing dangerously. "You went and butchered yourself Missy." The Doctor hissing her name like it was something wrong, something unclean.

"YOU left me no choice; a Time Lord's name is powerful and has to be given in the first few hours after looming. You would know that if you hadn't gone and scooped out everything that ever made you …well…you…" The Doctor added gesturing wildly. "What good are you to them now? A human mother you'll be with them for a mere blink of their existence, you can't…you won't….dammit they are going to have to watch you die and there is nothing any of us will be able to do about it."

"Everybody dies Doctor." Missy reminded him her voice soft and deadly as her blue eyes tracked the ranting Time Lord as he made his erratic way around the room. "Even the vaunted Time Lords."

"Yes well I don't want to see it…not you…not again do you understand?" The Doctor insisted blinking away the very real tears that threatened. "I can't not again I'm not strong enough." He added sinking down into the chair he had been occupying earlier, staring out into the hustle and bustle of London, suddenly unable to meet Missy's heavy gaze.

"You can't take them from me….Doctor…I won't let you." Missy insisted as the terrible realisation of what The Doctor was saying and not saying sank in. "I'm their mother they need me."

"I know." The Doctor sighed rubbing his hands over the bridge of his nose. It was an impossible situation.

Of the two of them Koschei had always been the better parent, she had even made herself human out of some misguided attempt to find and protect her children. The Doctor by contrast was a terrible parent and yet he wanted so much to be better. Yet he knew no matter what he did that his offspring would suffer, if he took them away now they would be deprived of a mother they so desperately needed. If he asked Missy to come with him then his children would have that mother figure but she would never be to them what she could have been if she had still been Time Lord and they would suffer terribly when she died during their childhood.

Life flying around in a Tardis, the last of their kind, lonely gods hunted by the rest of the galaxy simply for what species they were born into.

Or…or he could leave them on earth with Missy…with their human mother…as humans themselves…

-/-


	14. Chapter 14

-/-

"What do you mean you can make them human?" Missy eyed The Doctor sceptically as she gave her now awake and hungry little boy a bottle one of the nurses had made up for them.

"Just what it sounds like." The Doctor replied yet he couldn't quite meet Missy's gaze. "Just like you did, not that you would remember. I can re-write their genetic code, turn them from a Time Lord into a human being. They'd be safe then, just two more humans in a galaxy over run by them." He explained yet still the wariness in her posture didn't abate.

"But then they'd die…" Missy began. "How is that keeping them safe?"

"Eventually everyone dies…even Time Lords." The Doctor echoed Missy's own words back to her, blue grey eyes distant and cold.

"I'm giving you what you wanted Missy, you get to keep your children, they'll grow up safe from being hunted and you'll get to live your life free from me and my messing it up….That was what you wanted wasn't it?" The Doctor asked pointedly even as he swallowed down the rolling heaving mess that was churning in his stomach.

"That was what I wanted." Missy echoed back yet there was no victory in her tone, only the lingering bitterness of defeat.

That was what she wanted wasn't it? To raise her children and keep them far away from The Doctor, to protect them, not simply as punishment for his many many transgressions against her…fine the punishment part might also be more than a touch true. "You'd give them up just like that? I don't believe it."

"Believe it…It's for the best Koschei I was always a terrible father and you…you sacrificed your life just to save them, how could I ever compete with that?"

"It is not a competition Doctor." Missy reminded him her bright blue eyes narrowing as they raked over his face looking for some sign that he was toying with her yet there was nothing but honest defeated sincerity in his face. "Thete are you sure this is the only way?"

"Unless you want to spend the rest of your limited lifespan living in the time vortex Missy." The Doctor snapped back regretting his outburst when his son began to cry. "I can't keep you all safe I think the last few days have proved that and so I am being selfish alright…I can't watch you die Kosch, I can't be responsible for their deaths, I just can't…"

"Alright." Missy's acquiescence was quiet but The Doctor would have heard it over a hundred screaming voices. "Alright we'll do this your way, make them human, but they can't ever know Doctor. They can't know what we have taken from them."

"I know."

"Do you?" Missy retorted. "Because I don't think you do? You can't go changing your mind when you get lonely. I won't have you swanning in and out of their lives."

"Kosch I know." The Doctor added firmly turning and holding her gaze. "I know this has to be goodbye."

"And you can live with that?" Missy questioned unable to resist prodding the bleeding wound that was ripping at them both.

"I will have to find a way to." The Doctor added that was settled then and the sooner they got this done the better. "I'll just go collect the Tardis and…"

"Now?" Missy couldn't believe what she was hearing, everything was moving so quickly. "Why the rush?"

"Missy I can't…" The Doctor broke off his voice breaking. He couldn't put into words how much this was going to destroy him. To be the one to silence those growing murmurs in the back of his head, to in essentials finish the job he had started back on that asteroid. "It's not safe...the longer we leave it the greater the chance someone might discover what they are."

Accepting his explanation at face value Missy chose to ignore the look of heartbreak that The Doctor was doing a terrible job of hiding. That and the nagging voice at the back of her mind that was telling her over and over again that this was her fault, that this was a mistake, that she couldn't find a way… reaching out she caught his hand before she could stop herself.

Surprised by the sudden touch The Doctor literally stopped dead. Even human Missy's touch affected him and he found himself curling his own fingers around that much smaller delicate hand, long strong fingers stroking the warm skin.

"Doctor…" Missy began only for a gentle knocking on her door to interrupt her.

"Sorry to interrupt."

And she did look sorry. That was probably the only thing that stopped The Doctor from literally exploding in poor Osgood's face when she popped her spectacled face around the door and nervously backpedalled as not one but two of the occupants literally glared holes in her.

"I can come back later." Osgood offered, fiddling nervously with the edge of her jacket. "I only stopped by to pass on a message from Clara." She added clearly wishing for the ground to open and swallow her.

"No." The Doctor insisted tugging his hand free from Missy's grasp and forcing out of his mind the wonder of just what she had been about to say.

It changed nothing, his plan was for the best for all of them, and he deserved to be miserable after everything he had done to cause this situation. "No need we're done here. What was the message?"

Blushing as if what she was about to say was more than a little awkward and embarrassing Osgood coughed and cleared her throat. "I believe it was something along the lines of don't you have somewhere you are supposed to be today?"

Raising an eyebrow it took a moment for The Doctor to fill in the blanks and then he groaned aloud. The wedding of course….

Well he supposed there was still time to….no who was he kidding after what he was about to do The Doctor wouldn't be fit for company for a while and he wouldn't be coming back to Earth…well certainly not this time period it would be too risky…and too tempting.

No his impossible girl deserved an explanation as to why he was leaving and he had promised not to miss her wedding, and The Doctor was certain he deserved to dance one dance with the bride before he said goodbye. He couldn't ruin her wedding day with his problems.

"Alright I'll be back later then." The Doctor replied avoiding Missy's gaze and trying not to look at the children, yet he really wasn't that much of a coward.

Reaching out he traced his fingertips gently over his daughter's cheek and then his son's. "You two be good for your mother."

Then forcing himself to smile The Doctor lifted his gaze to meet Missy's, down he maybe a terrible liar but he was a master at hiding his feelings. "I want you to be happy, whatever…" he paused eyes flicking over to an increasingly uncomfortable Osgood "whoever can do that has my blessing, not that you need it."

"Glad you finally caught on to that." Missy snorted yet there was little real bite to her sarcasm. "Don't mope Doctor I am sure you'll quickly find some twenty something earth girl to distract you."

Biting back a cutting reply of his own about pots and kettles The Doctor fled as quickly as he could whilst maintaining what remained of his dignity, surprised when Osgood actually followed him out.

"Doctor what is going on?" Osgood asked gently her dark eyes wide with concern as she watched the Time Lord seem to fold in on himself.

Ignoring her question The Doctor took a deep breath, not quite noon he still had time to make the wedding. "Shouldn't you be in there with Missy?"

"Shouldn't you?" Osgood replied with more bit than The Doctor was used to from the normally gentle scientist.

"I have a wedding to attend Ms Osgood." The Doctor reminded her, his tone harsher than he usually used with her. "And Missy and I have said everything to each we need to."

"Well clearly you haven't..." Osgood replied glancing at the two guards that were stationed opposite Missy's hospital room just in…well just in case… "Doctor…"

"Just promise me you'll look after them…all of them." The Doctor added suddenly, turning back and pinning Osgood with one of those piercing gazes that felt like he was examining her soul. "No matter who or what threatens them."

"Of course." Osgood promised holding The Doctor's gaze until he broke it, and she wondered if he had found what he was looking for. "But Doctor who is going to look after you?"

Snorting in amusement The Doctor replied. "I'll look after myself, just like I always have done….Now go on…" He paused the sound of his daughter's crying ripping another tear in his heart as he had to force himself not to go to her. "Go she sounds like she could use a second pair of hands."

Confused and unwilling to press him further Osgood did as she asked. She didn't notice The Doctor's lowered gaze following her or that he lingered for a moment to watch through the glass panel in the door.

Awkwardly Osgood picked up the crying little girl and took her over to her Mother, grateful when Missy swapped the crying girl for her contented son. Babies were almost cute when they were like this one and Osgood sank down to sit beside Missy on the bed surprised but not startled when Missy actually leant against her for a moment.

Stepping back The Doctor tore his eyes away from the tender almost familiar scene in front of him; there was a big difference between wishing Missy well and having to see it for himself. In all of his years The Doctor had always had one constant to rely on, knowing that should he choose to accept The Mistress's offer to rule the universe would always be there and he would never have to be alone again.

He had never any intention of doing so of course, but the idea that there was always someone there just in case had given him a safety net of sorts, even as he flung himself about the galaxy probably breaking his own share of hearts. Now that was gone, she was gone, and it felt the bottom had suddenly dropped out of his world.

It was bitter pill to swallow acknowledging that even The Mistress regard for him had limits, that there might be others she loved more; the love of a parent for their children how could he ever compete with that, and why would he even want to?

Yet he was a Doctor and it was time to take his medicine.

-/-


	15. Chapter 15

-/-

"So you made it then? God you look rough, have you slept at all in the last three days?" A dressing gown clad Clara questioned from her doorway.

It wasn't the most effusive greeting The Doctor had ever received but right now even a slap around the face would probably feel warm and welcoming.

"Hello Clara." The Doctor managed before his voice threatened to betray him and so he quickly swallowed it down and covered his brittleness with a smile.

"Well?" Clara prompted standing back expectantly, her annoyance merely growing as The Doctor continued to look at her blankly. "Oh you are just impossible." She huffed.

"What?" The Doctor questioned a frown creasing his brow as Clara actually glared at him.

"How do I look Doctor?" Clara prompted him with a long suffering sigh, gesturing wildly with her hands.

"Do you look any different?" The Doctor asked before he could stop himself, squinting as Clara's glare turned up to blazing. "Oh have you done something different to your hair?"

Shaking her head, albeit carefully so as to not disturb the updo the hairdresser had just finished working on, Clara could only resign herself to the situation. It was Danny's opinion that mattered after all; still it would have been nice to have a compliment from The Doctor on her wedding day at least.

"Come in, your suit is hanging up on the back of the bathroom door." Clara directed him and The Doctor glad to have a task he could focus on scurried off to obey, skirting around Clara's hovering Grandmother who shot him a dark look. Damn she must have been eavesdropping and The Doctor was relieved when he could close the bathroom door on her, still at least now he knew where Clara had inherited hers from.

Right his suit…

Stripping out of his current outfit that looked like he had slept in it…he had but that wasn't the point… The Doctor paused to look at his own reflection in the bathroom mirror. Not that it really helped much, it never did, all he could make out was a shock of grey hair, a long nose, a general oldness etc. Although this time The Doctor did discern a general redness to his eyes that he couldn't remember seeing before.

Splashing water on his face and taking advantage of Clara's toothpaste and what was probably P.E.'s toothbrush The Doctor did his best to make himself look less like the park tramp. Then he turned his attention to the monstrosity of a suit he was being forced into.

Well there was nothing for it and the Doctor pulled it on, doing his best to manage all the buttons of his cream waistcoat, even if the cream silk cravat was one challenge to far. Cursing as the damn material refused to co-operate The Doctor was interrupted in his Venusian expletives by gentle tapping on the door.

"Doctor are you alright in there?" Clara's voice called in. "Cause my Gran needs the loo."

Sighing The Doctor admitted defeat, opening the door to be greeted by the sight of Clara, only this time the dressing gown was gone and in its place was a beautiful cream silk swing dress with a sheer lace collar. Standing back The Doctor couldn't help but smile.

"Doctor what are you smiling at?" Clara questioned a pleased flush appearing on her cheeks as her best friend actually stared.

"You look beautiful." The Doctor answered with a shy smile pleased when Clara's answering smile literally brimmed over with joy.

"Flatterer." Clara retorted blinking away the tears that were brimming in her eyes, even wearing waterproof mascara she didn't want to risk turning up at her wedding with red eyes. So instead she focused on the still unfastened cravat in The Doctor's hands.

"Honestly I would have thought you of all people would have worn one of those at some point." Clara huffed taking The Doctor by the arm and marching him back into the living room where there were assorted members of the wedding party hanging around trying not to get their outfits crumpled.

"There are somethings that even I can be excused for forgetting." The Doctor replied even as Clara forced him to perch on the arm of her sofa so he was nearer her height.

Shifting uncomfortably The Doctor allowed his eyes to travel the room, a smile tugging on his lips as he caught sight of the two ringlet wearing bridesmaids in their pretty periwinkle blue dresses as they argued over the crayons and colouring book that someone, probably Clara, had left out for them.

"I must admit I was surprised you were alone." Clara's voice interrupted The Doctor's musing and suddenly the two squabbling bridesmaids were the last thing The Doctor could look at.

"Oh?" He asked trying to hide his emotional volatility by speaking as little as possible and keeping his gaze fixed on the far wall.

"Osgood called she told me about…well your new arrivals." Clara added by way of explanation, a slight frown creasing her young face as she suppressed her own irritation that it had been Osgood and not her best friend who had been the one to tell her what had happened. It wasn't like it was a small thing becoming a father; surely he would want to tell her before anyone else.

"So where are they? I'm sure they are just adorable even with Mi…"

"With their mother."

"With Missy?" Clara snorted tugging a little too tightly on the cravat and ignoring The Doctor's wince. "Well I guess that will take a little getting used to. Are they really not in any danger from her?"

Choosing to answer that question with a scowl and the raising of an eyebrow The Doctor tried not to think about it, yet that was like telling a human not to think of a pink elephant. He couldn't not dwell on what he was about to do, on what he had lost and was about to lose.

"So where is the hellion in question, please tell me that UNIT have at least got her locked up?"

Jolted back by the question The Doctor shook his head. "She's being guarded but actually I think Kate is planning on giving her a job." The Doctor answered much to Clara's amazement.

"The Mistress stay here and defend the earth? I find that hard to believe." Clara scoffed in disbelief and the Doctor snorted, she was right there was more than a little irony in the situation.

"I must admit I am surprised, so you didn't ask her to travel with you." Clara couldn't help but fish as she smoothed down the finished cravat but The Doctor all but avoided her gaze.

"Surely she didn't turn you down?" Clara asked her tone light and teasing. "So are you going to share custody or are they going to stay with you…I mean of course they are what crazy person would leave them with Missy…"

"Clara please…" The Doctor all but pleaded his voice breaking a little as the pain resurfaced and his hearts felt like breaking, to regain his oldest friend only to lose her again and their children this time seemingly for good.

"Doctor what is wrong?"

"I can't…don't ask me to explain."

"Doctor…" Clara began her beautiful creasing up concern as she reached up and cupped his face, trying her best to smooth out the look of agony on his face. Her concern sky rocketing up to high alert as The Doctor seemed to be only moments away from tears. "Doctor what is going on!"

"She's human Clara. Missy is human." The Doctor managed to croak out before pushing off Clara's hands from his face so he could hide his own as he pulled a startled Clara into a hug.

Not caring if she creased her dress or disturbed her hair Clara hugged him back. She didn't need him to explain how such a thing could be true, all she knew was that her best friend was hurt so badly he was shaking.

"It's alright Doctor." She whispered soothingly stroking his hair gently like she would a frightened child. "We'll figure something out alright you me together ok? We'll fix it."

Forcing himself to nod The Doctor couldn't bring himself to disagree. Clara needed to think there was something that could be done. He had already broken his own promise to himself not to speak about it with her; he refused to break his promise not to ruin her wedding with his own heartbreak.

"Of course." He replied pushing himself out of her arms and standing up, sniffing until he could feign a confident smile. "But first Ms Oswald I do believe Mr Pink might be more than a little annoyed if we were off on an adventure and left him waiting."

Laughing Clara reached up and straightened his cravat until it was perfect, "Honestly Doctor don't you know anything about human weddings…It's the bride's prerogative to be late."

Clara was not convinced by The Doctor's smile but she knew him well enough by now to know when to give him the space he so clearly needed. When he needed to talk she would be waiting.

-/-


	16. Chapter 16

-/-

They were staring at her again.

It was bizarre to think it but Osgood was certain the twins had already committed her face to memory. Perhaps it was from those few short hours together whilst escaping the space station and then on The Doctor's Tardis, or perhaps she was finally giving into paranoia?

They definitely knew she wasn't Missy or The Doctor of that Osgood was certain; the way their little faces kept turning to the door as if waiting for one or the other to return was any confirmation enough her eyes. Still she should thank the heavens they seemed content enough to wait. Osgood wasn't sure she could handle one crying baby on her own let alone two.

Both twins had started crying after The Doctor left and had it taken patience Osgood hadn't realised Missy had to soothe them. That they had clearly bonded with their father seemed to bother Missy for some reason and after a few of her questions had received rather curt responses Osgood had decided to drop the subject…well for now at least.

When both had fallen asleep Osgood had produced the clothes she had picked up from home to loan Missy and Missy had only been too delighted to slip into the bathroom and take a shower, pressing a grateful kiss to Osgood's cheek before she vanished. The Doctor's magic glowy mojo might have healed her wound but Missy was still sticky with the remains of her own blood and only a good hot shower would sort that out.

Trying not to think about Missy in the small hospital shower Osgood couldn't help but feel all rather awkward all of a sudden and overwhelmed. Osgood had left earth to help her time lady sort of friend sort of tormentor and it seemed like she had returned with a human girlfriend. She had already undergone more than a grilling from Kate who had this time insisted on knowing just how close her and Missy had gotten. Osgood wouldn't have minded if there had been anything of significance to tell.

So they had kissed…more than once now…So Missy had teased and tormented her with the knowledge of Osgood's attraction to her…that was it really.

Kate had looked into her much the way the time tots were doing now, studying and scrutinising, yet finally she seemed to believe her and it had surprised Osgood how much that still meant to her. She still craved her first mentor's approval and Osgood doubted she would ever completely move past that. Still Kate had more than a little wary about allowing Osgood to come to the hospital at all, had assured her that just because had concocted a story in her own head about them being involved Osgood didn't have to play along. Kate also commented that if it didn't work out with Missy her friend had a daughter who would be perfect for her.

"Oh that is so much better." Missy's drawling voice jarred Osgood from her introspection and both her and the twin's heads turned to watch as Missy re-entered the room rubbing her wet dark curls vigorously with a towel.

Swallowing Osgood could only watch as Missy stalked across the room wearing the Bowie T-shirt and little else Osgood could only marvel how they have come full circle. Yet even as she aesthetically admired the long bare legs Osgood was surprised she didn't feel the same churn in her stomach as she did the last time.

"Although that bathroom is even smaller than yours Skip which I honestly didn't think was possible." Missy snarked moving to plop herself down on the bed beside Osgood. "Still at least I won't have to put up with for long. When am I being sprung?"

"Just as soon as Kate can secure some suitable accommodation." Osgood replied shifting a little uncomfortably as Missy curled up against her side, wet curls teasingly brushing against her shoulder.

"Hmmm suitable accommodation sounds so very delightful." Missy tutted tilting her head to study her tense companion. "Still as long as I have a cute roommate." She added teasingly reaching out and running her hand over Osgood's jean clad thigh, surprised when the younger woman practically jumped out of her skin.

"Hmmm too fast?" Missy questioned blue eyes narrowing as Osgood literally seemed to be turning bright red before her eyes. "Honestly Skip I was joking I know we are nowhere near ready to live together."

"Missy…" Osgood began, nervously pushing her thick glasses back up her nose, as she actually avoiding looking anywhere but at Missy. "Look about that…about us we need to talk…"

"Yes because nothing good starts with that opener. Are you trying to break up with me Skip?" Missy questioned. "Because to be honest I have already had a day of shit being dumped on me…

"Missy why didn't you leave with the doctor? Why are you staying on earth at all?" Osgood cut in, surprising the former Time Lady who actually stared at her blankly before looking away.

"You would have to ask him that." Missy replied coolly. "Besides why would I even want to go anywhere with him?"

"That is not answering my question." Osgood corrected her. "He must have offered…he must have…" Osgood repeated as if trying to convince herself.

"Must he?"

"They and you." She added looking between Missy and twins. "I saw what he was like when had thought he had lost you, I saw how gentle he was with them. He practically threatened me to take care of you all or else!"

"Yes well that is The Doctor for you." Missy sniffed as though she smelt something foul. "So very good in a crisis, so very bad at sticking around to sort out his mess. Besides even if he did hint in the vaguest sense about going with him I couldn't trust him, not again, he keeps breaking my heart, why should this time be any different?"

"So instead you'll stay here with me? What am I a consolation prize?" Osgood asked softly unable to hide the sadness in her voice. Was that to be the story of her life, dependable Osgood there when she was needed but never anyone's first choice?

"It's not like that. I really do care about you Skip." Missy snapped reaching out for Osgood as if her touch would have magical properties that would stop this pointless argument before things were said that couldn't be taken back.

Yet Osgood pulled back before Missy could touch her. "Care not love." Osgood couldn't help but pick apart Missy's words. "Don't you think I deserves better than to be someone's safe choice?"

"Love might come in time. Are you saying you don't want me?"

"I don't know what I really want Missy. I know I want to be your friend. I am just not sure I want to be your girlfriend."

"So you are breaking up with me." Missy muttered unable to hide how she was offended by that thought. "So I suppose this is goodbye from you as well, you're going to swan off and leave me as well?"

"No I still want to be your friend Missy. I'm just not sure I'm ready to be anyone's girlfriend. I am not even certain it's a girlfriend I want and if I was looking for one it certainly wouldn't be someone who is still totally not over their ex."

"I'm not…" Missy began only for a knowing Osgood to retort.

"You so are."

Osgood paused watching Missy carefully for any sign she might explode before reaching out and touching her hand lightly. "You forget that when you're together, when you're unable to take your eyes off each other I am able to watch both of you. There is still something there…more than something I think on both sides; if just one of you would find the courage to say something."

"It doesn't matter." Missy muttered biting her lip as she accepted Osgood's comfort but avoided the younger woman's all too knowing gaze.

"It doesn't. Even I was to believe you, even if I was to take that risk it's too late he's gone. You know The Doctor when he has made his mind up to do the 'right' thing he never stops and listens to other people. That man was born to be a bloody martyr, by the time he comes back he'll have worked himself up into such a state that he won't listen to a word I say. He won't even give me a chance."

"Yes and no?" Osgood retorted cryptically, her enjoyment growing as Missy actually frowned, pulling her eyebrows together in such a gesture that practically screamed Doctor that Osgood had to stifle her laughter.

"Meaning?" Missy questioned her confusion growing as Osgood actually had the nerve to smile at her.

"Meaning it might not be too late if you really are serious about changing his mind. I happen to know where he will be at 2.30pm this afternoon. Now what do you say to that?" Osgood asked pulling out a crumpled wedding invitation and holding it up, the gilt edge catching the light and setting off a familiar refraction in Missy's eyes.

Answering Skip's smile with a grin that was positively dangerous Missy couldn't help but pounce on the idea. "I would say Ms Osgood let's go crash us a wedding."

-/-


	17. Chapter 17

-/-

The business of ushering was more complicated than The Doctor had been led to believe. It was more than simply handing out orders of service and pointing people in the right direction…although why humans required anyone to instruct them where to sit The Doctor still didn't have a comprehensive answer for.

Surely it just made the most sense to fill up from the front taking the next available seat?

Yet it seemed his far more efficient system fell afoul of Clara's grandmother who actually resorted to hitting him repeatedly with her order of service when he dared to try and seat her in the next available seat in the second from last pew. The Doctor had never been quite so pleased to see P.E. as he was when the groom intervened and with some careful persuading convinced some of the teachers from Clara's school to swap their front row space for the spare seats at the back.

The Doctor had resorted to sulking in the vestibule, doing his best to avoid Clara's violent grandmother who glared daggers every time she caught sight of him. The Doctor still maintained that his system was far more efficient, and it was, not to mention how was anybody supposed to see over or around that bloody monstrosity of a hat the woman was wearing? Putting her at the back would have made far more sense all round.

Still the vicar had at least recognised his superior intellect and had given him the very important job of looking out for the bridal cars, then to give the organist the nod when the bride was ready so they could begin the introduction to the wedding march.

On spotting the classic cars arrive The Doctor felt his spirits rise a little as the one that Clara was travelling in bore a striking comparison to his own beloved Bessie and The Doctor immediately made a resolution to take his other old girl out for a spin.

"Doctor." Clara's voice rang out in greeting and The Doctor all but bounded over to her before stopping and frowning in confusion as he struggled to even recognise her under whatever thing she had draped over her face.

"Have you been playing peekaboo with the children Clara?" The Doctor jested stepping back as his impossible girl moved to swipe at him with her free hand.

"It's called a veil Doctor it's traditional." Clara huffed as she fussed with the edge of her lace trimmed veil and ushered her two bridesmaids to stand neatly behind her.

"Yes it was back in the dark ages but that was just to hide up the bride's pock marks so the poor groom would still marry her. P.E. already knows what you look like Clara and he still wants to marry you…" The Doctor added this time deserving the tiny punch he didn't quite manage to dodge.

"Ow." The Doctor whined backing away and edging towards the closed doors that led into the church proper. "Of course he might change his mind if he knew how very punchy you are today."

"Doctor just go in there and stay out of the way! You'll be the one to see just how punchy I can get if you dare do anything to ruin my wedding.""

Backing away his hands held in surrender The Doctor quickly slipped into the church taking Clara's threat very much to heart he did his job correctly and waved at the organist until he was certain she had seen him, ignoring the titters of amusement from Clara's friends as he budged them up and took a place at the end of the pew so he could watch her entrance.

The rich sound of the organ started up filling the small church with music and everyone stood for the entrance of the bride, a quick glance down the front confirmed for The Doctor that P.E. was still there and hadn't been abducted by aliens. So that was one thing Clara couldn't blame him for, although the groom did look more than a little green around the gills but The Doctor was sure that had nothing to do with him.

The Doctor's head turned back the moment he heard the doors open, and like everyone his eyes were waiting for the triumphant entrance of the bride.

Yet instead of a beaming bride dressed in white in barged a baby toting, David Bowie T-Shirt, skinny jean wearing…

"Missy!"

Followed a fraction of a second later by an equally laden Osgood, who unlike the former at least looked mortified for their sudden entrance.

"Sorry." Osgood muttered feeling the astonished and outraged gazes of the congregation on them. Not that Missy seemed to care one jot for the attention.

Hearing The Doctor's exclamation Missy walked straight over to him, her gaze looking him up and down, a flicker of amusement playing across her face that had The Doctor tugging on the lapels of his unflattering waistcoat.

"Missy what are you…" The Doctor began only to be cut off by the broad side of her palm as it slapped him across the face.

Reeling back The Doctor could only stare down at her in horror. "What the hell was that for?"

"That was for thinking you know best." Missy began before bringing her boot clad foot down on his own Doc Martin clad feet.

"And that was daring to make decisions about my future without even asking me."

Hopping on one foot The Doctor could only stare at the raging former Time Lady in bewilderment. "What in Gallifrey are you talking about woman?"

"You know precisely what I am talking about Idiot!" Missy spat back poking him hard in the chest. "Well I am not having it; I am not having any of it. You can take your plans and stick them up that pompous all-knowing self-righteous arse of yours. If you want to be a martyr be one on someone else's time because I've had more than enough of it."

"Missy this wasn't quite what I mea…" Osgood began nervously her eyes flicking between her friend and The Doctor, yet one glare from Missy had Osgood backing away before she could turn her temper on her.

"And this is for even thinking about leaving me behind!" Missy snapped and The Doctor tensed expecting some new form of violence only for Missy to seize his jacket lapel and bodily dragging him down to her level.

For a moment she paused as The Doctor's eyebrows shot up as he eyeballed her at microscopic range before she pounced and The Doctor found his lips suddenly under aggressive occupation. The advance shock troops of Missy's tongue quickly overran his defences and began to wrestle his own into submission.

For a moment The Doctor struggled but then he felt her fingers slip up to thread through his curls giving them a sharp tug as if to tell him not to be stupid, that he wouldn't win, and just like that The Doctor surrendered. He wrapped his arms around her, baby and all, and did his best to give her ground troops as sound a thrashing as she was giving his.

It was only the rather pointed cough in the silent church and Missy's new found requirement to actually breathe that broke them apart.

Dazed The Doctor could only blink his eyes as he stared down into the far too smug face in front of him. Missy's cheeks were a most delightful red and she appeared to be breathing rather heavily but everything else about her screamed victory.

"Got that then Dumbo?" Missy added mockingly as she actually reached up and straightened that monstrosity of a cravat.

Nodding automatically it took a moment for what Missy was saying to actually sink in and then The Doctor truly began to panic. "Oh no…no no no…"

"Don't you dare No me Doctor." Missy snapped. "You are not getting out of this one, it's my choice and I am choosing the Tardis, I am even choosing you although sometimes the reason why bloody well escapes me."

"But the danger…" The Doctor began trying to grapple for the remains of the argument that had seemed so very solid only a few hours ago. Yet it seemed Missy's form of medicine had made everything rather hazy and The Doctor struggled to grasp hold of the ends of it.

"Everyone is in danger." Missy huffed rolling her eyes. "Just standing here the roof could bloody well fall on us. Is it likely too? No but it could. You are in more bloody danger from me punching you if you dare to keep on arguing with me." She added warningly blue eyes flashing with certain promise to deliver on that threat if he kept being dumb.

"But I thought you wanted to stay…I thought you wanted to be as far from me as you could?" The Doctor countered unable to quell the pout that pulled at his lips as his gaze shifted to a silent Osgood. The 'with who' was implied it didn't need speaking and the UNIT scientist actually blushed but Osgood at least smiled at him encouragingly.

"Well it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind." Missy replied airily herself unwilling to admit out loud the real reason.

"Missy." The Doctor all but growled her name in frustration, was it too much to ask for her to be serious about this?

"Fine because I love you, you big doofus." Missy admitted, the truth blurting out her mouth like a curse as the red wave of embarrassment threatened to overwhelm her.

Barging into a church on someone else's wedding day and physically assaulting the love of her life was one thing after all but having to talk about feelings…out loud

"You…You…" The Doctor could only stutter, his eyebrows shooting up so high they practically disappeared into his hairline.

"God knows why after everything we've been through." Missy prattled on as if by continuing to speak she could actual distract him from her earlier confession. "And I don't expect you to feel the sa…"

Only for her words to be cut off this time by The Doctor's lips as he cupped her jaw and kissed her gently with every bit of care and tenderness he could fuse into a kiss.

One…two…three soft little kisses that Missy literally drank up, her eyes remaining closed long after The Doctor had pulled away his own blue grey eyes soaking up her unguarded reaction.

"This is crazy." He muttered shaking his head as Missy slowly opened her eyes, conveying in her gaze the pleading words he knew she would never ever say aloud.

That she had been the one to come here and take this step was already more than The Doctor had ever expected of her. That she valued him over her pride was enough; he had no need to make her beg.

"All the best things and people are." Missy replied, her voice almost timid as if afraid he would contradict her, that now having her put her cards down on the table The Doctor might suddenly decide to pull out the tablecloth.

"Aye." The Doctor agreed, stroking her cheek. "And none more so than you my precious little psychopath."

For some being called such a name would be insulting but for Missy, who knew it happened to be true for the most part at least, well she could only beam back. There were far worse pet names he could have given her.

"So no more arguments?" Missy couldn't help but question eyeing The Doctor suspiciously. She knew him too well, when he had made up his bloody mind on something he was a devil to shift and he so rarely listened to her that well it was a hard believe that this time…

"No more arguments." The Doctor agreed his gaze drifting from Missy's bright blue eyes to the simply curious ones of his son's as the baby reached up for his father's attention and The Doctor found himself smiling for the first time as his son's hand touched his face.

Glancing over Missy's shoulder to where Osgood was now struggling with a wiggling impatient little girl The Doctor waved her over and relieved the scientist of the demanding little bundle.

"No patience just like her mother." The Doctor commented as his daughter settled once in his free arm and joining her brother nestled between both parents, wincing as he felt Missy's fingers poke him somewhere between his third and fourth rib.

"I think you will find that she gets that particular trait from you Doctor!" Missy tutted, yet there was no real malice to her tone, more like fond amusement.

"Hmm well just as long as that's all she gets." The Doctor huffed. "I don't think she wants my nose."

"No I think that works best on your face love." Missy retorted leaning up and pressing a brief kiss to the tip of his nose before tilting her head to the side her eyes closing expectantly for another…

"If the two of you are quite finished kissing and making up!" An irate voice echoed throwing a much needed bucket of cold water over the proceedings and the newly reunited family turned around to see an impatient bride standing on the threshold of the church.

"This is supposed to be MY DAY!" Clara added as much for the rest of the wedding party as for The Doctor and Missy, after all they had all just stood there watching the damn floor show unfold in front of them and doing nothing to stop it.

Remembering Clara's promise and not wishing for any more violence to befall his person today at least The Doctor all but pulled Missy and the twins clear of the aisle. Then he began waving vigorously at the organist, who stared at him blankly before shaking herself out of her stupor and launching right back into the wedding march.

Happily snuggling into The Doctor's side in the confined space, Missy allowed herself the possessive gesture of resting her head on his shoulder. Her smile only growing as she felt The Doctor silently press a kiss to her crown whilst they watched his other best friend make her way down to the aisle to one very relieved looking groom.

Missy was surprised to find she didn't begrudge Clara Oswald her happy ending; she could have her Danny Pink. Missy had her Doctor, she didn't need a ceremony like this one to prove it she just needed The Doctor to accept her as she was…psychopathic tendencies and all.

As if sensing her thoughts The Doctor reached down, his fingers nudging against her own as if asking for permission. Permission Missy willing gave as she wiggled her own around his and allowing him to hold her hand. That was all either of them needed, a hand to hold and an unspoken promise to be there, through the good times and the bad, to face the dangers of the universe together hand in hand and never ever let go again.

-/-

The End...ok there will be an epilogue because there always is.


	18. Chapter 18

Epilogue:

-/-

"May I cut in?"

"That depends…" Clara replied sharing a look with her handsome groom before her warm brown eyes travelled across the room to where Missy of all people was cooing and showing off her children to a few of the other mothers whilst a nervous looking Osgood hovered around clearly sharing Clara's scepticism. "I'd rather not have a jealous Missy to deal with Doctor."

"Clara's its fine…we're…" The Doctor paused as if trying to find the right words that would reassure his impossible girl that she had nothing to fear from Missy…well not in that regard. "She accepts that you are my friend, she has to." He added with an amused smile. "Besides Missy is the whole reason we are friends in the first place….the woman in the shop?"

"No…Nooo…way.." Clara began stunned, her chin dropped open as Danny passed her into The Doctor's arms with a resigned shake of the head.

"Just bring her back in once piece Doctor." Danny huffed before winking at Clara. "Wife it's your decision whether or not to return him in one piece."

"You better believe it Husband!" Clara recovered quickly sharing a look with Danny that showed affection, amusement and a hint of mischief.

Now face to face and the sole item of scrutiny under Clara Oswald's gaze The Doctor felt his previous resolve falter a little. Blushing as Clara raised one pointed eyebrow at his unaccustomed silence The Doctor coughed before forcing himself to speak.

"Clara…I…we are sorry for disrupting your wedding the way we did."

"Please Doctor you are never going to convince me that Missy is even a tiny bit sorry." Clara snorted rolling her eyes as The Doctor opened his mouth to protest, "Apology accepted anyway. At least this one wedding everyone is going to remember… Even if it is for all the wrong reasons."

Realising that this was not an argument he could even begin to win even if he genuinely believed it himself The Doctor simply smiled his thanks. Leading Clara in a turn around the dancefloor The Doctor couldn't help but look over, just checking, just to make sure, he wasn't fussing…It was simply a coincidence that as he stared Missy turned her head to meet his gaze, an exasperated look playing about her face yet there was no hiding the smile that played about her lips, a smile that The Doctor dizzily returned.

"Oh you have got it bad." Clara teased drawing The Doctor's attention back to her, doing her best to quell the small flicker of jealously that curdled in her stomach as her best friend now had someone else as the focus of his attention. "It's strange…"

"What is?" The Doctor questioned, his brow furrowed lightly as he turned back to his dance partner.

"But nice seeing you so happy, I just…I just want you to be sure…" Clara hesitated biting her lip for a moment, yet as The Doctor's frown deepened she had to continue. "Earlier you seemed so upset that Missy was human now. You're my best friend Doctor I never want to see you hurt…"

"Clara I am very sure." The Doctor insisted touched by her concern but this was one part of his life that he had to make decisions about alone.

"We may not have all the time together we should, and somehow I will have to find a way to accept that, but even having this much of her is better than losing her alltogether. I would have thought you of all people would understand that." The Doctor added with a pointed nod towards an oblivious Danny who was bravely leading Clara's demon of a grandmother around the dance floor.

Well when he put it like that. Clara smiled leaning forward and pulling a protesting Doctor into a tight hug. "Just promise you'll come visit, you and the rugrats…you can even bring Missy…"

"Rugrats?" The Doctor spluttered in confusion. "Clara I don't have any rodents on board the Tardis…well none that I know of…"

"No I mean…" Clara laughed waving towards Missy and the twins who were over by the wedding present table and in particular seemed to be admiring The Doctor's wedding present. Not that they were the first to pay attention to the glittering glass sculpture, Clara couldn't count the number of people who had come up to her asking where they could buy one.

"They are children of the houses of Oakdown and Lungbarrow." The Doctor huffed. "They are not rats of any description."

"Spoken like a proud papa." Clara teased him, "But if you want me to address them properly then perhaps you should tell me their names?"

"Clara I cannot tell you their real names you know that." The Doctor chided her. "However until they select titles for themselves they will be known as Maechithaldrasvia and Samerovalelbiramatis."

"Right because that isn't going to get them bullied in the playground." Clara retorted with the knowing gaze of a teacher. "Still I suppose they can always go by Mae and Sam."

Huffing himself up at Clara's criticism The Doctor replied firmly "Clara my children's names are…"

Only a sudden smashing sound cut him off, him and every other conversation in the room save for the sudden sound of a baby crying. Turning around The Doctor could see a sudden crowd forming around the wedding present table and he pushed through them. The beautiful glass sculpture was now in fragments all over the floor however The Doctor was more concerned that Missy or the children might be injured.

Mae was the one crying and Missy was doing her best to soothe her. Running his hands over his child The Doctor checked for any sign of injury yet it seemed it had been the fright of the sudden loud noise that had caused the crying fit rather than any actual injury.

"I had no idea she was strong enough to pull it over." Missy confided in The Doctor, her blue eyes narrowed in concern as she wondered if this was merely the first in a long line of strange traits her children would exhibit.

"Hey where did this come from?" Danny Pink commented bending down and picking up a small silver disk. "It must have been inside the sculpture." He added flipping it over in his hand. "What on earth was a pocket watch…"

The Doctor didn't even give Danny the chance to finish, leaning forward he snatched it from Danny's hand. Gripping it tightly in his fingers he turned it over his gaze widening as it traced a familiar circular design. It was a fob watch and it contained the living beating soul of a Time Lord; or to the point a certain Time Lady…

-/-

Meanwhile far across the galaxy and far into the future the new King of the Pirate Clan Cartellion was inspecting what remained of his clan's assets accompanied by a familiar obsequious underling.

In a darkened room they stared through one way glass into a lit room that was sparsely decorated, one central table dominated and there was a small cot tucked away against the wall. It was a cell by any other name.

"How is it progressing?"

"Exceeding expectations My Lord, already showing intelligence and endurance that exceeds our measurements. He will be whatever you need him to be, a great warrior in your army, or perhaps a great engineer building structures that will venerate your reign."

"Yes but only if it learns its proper place Tristayn, I will not be like my predecessor I will not harbour a viper in my nest." The King commanded and his servant bowed to his superior wisdom.

"I would be honoured to take care of that instruction personally my King." Tristayn grovelled, his dark eyes glowing with greed yet he did his best to keep his avarice hidden until his appeased sovereign grew bored and left.

Finally alone Tristayn moved over to the glass, placing his hand against the cool surface he allowed a smile to cross his face as his gaze lit upon a small dark haired boy sat at the table. The chair he was perched on was far too large for him and the puzzle he had been commanded to solve was far too complex for a child a dozen years his senior… which of course meant the child would have it solved in a matter of hours.

So Tristayn had his charge and his orders and he would do his best to exceed expectations. This son of Gallifrey's talents would put to use building the glory of the Cartellion clan and he would be loyal to the King…well to the future King.

King Tristayn….hmmm it did have a certain ring about it.

-/-


End file.
